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With fewer than 100 days before voting begins in the New York City primary, NY1 is sitting down with Democratic candidates challenging Mayor Eric Adams.
On Friday, former New York Assemblyman and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee Michael Blake joined “Mornings On 1” to make his case to voters.
“We deserve better, and I will be very clear that I’m running for mayor because we have to help New Yorkers make and keep more money in their pocket,” he said.
Blake, who has held positions at the federal, state and local levels, highlighted his experience in his bid for mayor.
“All that’s happening in D.C. impacts us, and as the only person who has White House, state house and local experience, we cannot ignore that dynamic,” he said.
Asked what he could realistically achieve as mayor, Blake pointed to his record.
“When I worked in the Obama White House, we were able to make sure we had an increase in minority women-owned businesses to the greatest degree that has happened before,” he said. “When I was an Assembly member, I passed the Prompt Pay Bill so that businesses below 300 employees get paid faster.”
Blake said his mayoral plan includes increasing wages and implementing universal child care. He said he would target pied-à-terre housing and overtime abuse as a main source of revenue for his proposals.
“Focus on individuals who have vacant apartments here that are not their primary residence. Pied-à-terre. You do that, you generate the revenue, as well as addressing what’s happening with overtime expenses in the city,” he said. “Those two things will actually reduce the cost for New Yorkers.”
The Democratic primary field is crowded, with a total of 10 candidates vying for the position. Blake said so many are running because they are dissatisfied with the “culture of corruption” in the Adams administration. He also took aim at former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is the most recent candidate to join the field.
“When we think about others, such as the former governor, who’s trying to jump back in—while people were dying in nursing homes, I was feeding people with World Central Kitchen,” Blake said. “At the end of the day, we need a new generation of leadership.”
On housing, a key issue this election cycle, Blake called for policies that prioritize middle-class and working-class residents.
“We should have dedicated housing for our union members,” he said. “If we have a Mitchell-Lama 2.0, where we’re building middle-class housing, we can give people a better chance.”
Blake also argued that incentives for developers should be tied to affordability and that public housing must have reliable heat and hot water.
“We have to make sure we change the standards that go back to local median income,” he said. “If we take these steps, you will actually increase the chance of someone getting a home, but most importantly, keeping a home.”
With ranked-choice voting again in play, Blake said it could be anybody’s game.
“We remind people that it took eight rounds of voting last time,” he said. “Our job is to lay out if you want the only person who has White House, state house and local experience, if you want to have a new generation of leadership and you want to be able to demonstrate that we can actually address the true cost of living with affordable housing and pay for these plans: You don’t have to look at an Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams.”
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is running unopposed as a Republican. Early voting in the June 24 primary begins on June 14.
