NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- With less than a month to go until the mayoral election on Nov. 4, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa answered 1010 WINS' questions about the race and his vision for New York City if elected mayor.
1. What would you say is the number one priority policy you will focus on Day 1 when you enter office?
Public safety. On Day 1, my priority will be restoring law and order to New York City by hiring 7,000 more cops, untying their hands so they can do their jobs, and putting them back on the streets and subways where New Yorkers need them most. We will crack down on repeat offenders and make our neighborhoods safe again. Without safety, nothing else in this city can function, not schools, not businesses, not housing.
2. When you are looking for deputy mayors, commissioners, and employees to fill out City agencies, what is the one quality you want people to have who take those jobs?
I want experts on the issues who bring passion and integrity to the job. I am not interested in cronies or nepotism. I want people with independence, heart, and the ability to deliver results for New Yorkers.
3. How will you handle the City's relationship to the federal government and President Donald Trump?
As Mayor, my job is to fight for New Yorkers irrespective of what party is in charge in Washington, D.C. I will work with President Trump and his administration wherever it benefits the city, but I will not be afraid to stand up for New Yorkers if Washington policies hurt us. My loyalty is to the people of New York, not to any politician in D.C.
4. Would you keep NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch or make your own pick, and what matters most in that role?
Tisch was needed because of the wild corruption and lack of integrity in the department. I am not crazy about her downplaying crime when New Yorkers know crime is not down. The commissioner should not be interested in politics or self promotion. The commissioner must know the department inside and out and focus on its one critical mission, keeping New Yorkers safe. Transparency with the public is also essential.
5. There are voters who say they will never vote for you, what is your message to them?
Even if you do not agree with me on everything, I will be the Mayor who listens to you, who walks your streets, and who is accountable every single day. I have spent 45 years in the subways and neighborhoods when no one else would show up. You may not always like my style, but you will always know where I stand, and that I am fighting for you.
6. Name a mayor you admire, and one you would not model yourself after.
Fiorello Henry La Guardia.
7. How will you attempt to distance yourself from the more far right platform that most New Yorkers find unpopular, such as the cutting of government programs?
The issues that New Yorkers face are not partisan ones, they are nonpartisan. I am not running to cut programs that people depend on, I am running to make them work better. The problem is not that New York does not spend enough, it is that the money does not reach the people who need it most. Too much of our budget is wasted on bureaucracy, consultants, and special interests. I will streamline government so programs actually deliver results for everyday New Yorkers.
8. What food spot in NYC would you choose for your last meal?
Stromboli's Pizzeria, First Avenue and St. Mark's Place.
9. Do you have a favorite “hidden” spot in the city that you can escape to?
Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue Station, looking at the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel.
10. What’s your favorite subway line, and where do you take it?
Favorite subway—4 train, and where to—Fordham Road, where I started the Guardian Angels in 1979.