Dear Commons Community,

Voters in New York City will elect their first new mayor in twelve years.  While the polls heavily favor Democrat Bill de Blasio over Republican Joe Lhota, election outcomes should never be taken for-granted.  Today’s Daily News has a good summary of the final day of the campaign:

“The yearlong race for City Hall ended Monday with dueling visions for the future and a final volley of attacks as voters prepared to select the first new mayor in 12 years.

Unlike the breakneck final day of mayoral races past, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio had just three campaign events, the final at 3 p.m., reflecting confidence in polls that show him with an overwhelming lead.

The Democrat renewed his call for a dramatic break with Mayor Bloomberg’s policies, sticking with the themes that catapulted him from fourth place in the Democratic primary in July to the brink of history Tuesday.

“Together we will make this a city for everyone again,” he told a senior center in the Bronx. “The way that Mayor Bloomberg did things is not the only way to do things, I assure you.”

He added, “Joe Lhota has offered no vision of change, and that’s part of why I think the voters have been so cool to him.”

Lhota ended his campaign alongside his one-time boss, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, greeting evening commuters at two ferry terminals in lower Manhattan.

“A lot of people come up to me and (say), ‘I’m a Democrat, but I’m voting for you Joe,’” Lhota said. “It’s generally because they think (de Blasio’s) too far left in most of his opinions. They don’t like it.”

Giuliani offered his own testimonial.

“There is no Republican or Democratic way to pick up the garbage. There’s no Republican or Democratic way to reduce crime. There’s only the right way to do it or the wrong way to do it,” Giuliani said. “And from the time I came into office, with Joe’s help, we literally turned the city around.”

VOTE!!!

Tony