Dear Commons Community,

The New York Times endorsed Christine Quinn and Joseph Lhota in their respective party’s mayoral primaries.  The endorsement of Quinn was the more complicated because the field of candidates is strong.  The Times editorial board had honorable mention for Bill de Blasio and William Thompson but in the end considered Quinn as the best person for the job.

In the case of de Blasio  the editorial seemed to be saying that he had the best ideas but that he would not be able to get the cooperation of the New York State Legislature in order to implement them.

The editorial stated that Thompson, who nearly defeated Mr. Bloomberg four years ago, ran a thoughtful campaign grounded on the insights he gained in important elective and appointed posts in New York City.  “A former president of the old Board of Education, Mr. Thompson argues that he is the best candidate to fix the city schools, but his close ties to the United Federation of Teachers, not always a friend of needed reforms, give us pause”.

Joseph Lhota was a no brainer given the weak field of candidates.  Lhota has had a lot of experience in City Hall having been Rudy Giuilani’s deputy mayor and right-hand man.  Lhota’s connection to Giuliani makes him a shoo-in for the primary but will be a liability in the general election.  Lhota when asked by The Times to name his favorite mayor, said Fiorello La Guardia. It sounds like Lhota knows he has a Giuliani problem.

Tony