Posted on 09/09/2001 2:36:43 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
NEW YORK (AP)
A candidate near the bottom of polls in the city's mayoral contest accused a front-runner Sunday of being racially divisive as the leading Democratic hopefuls held their final debate two days before the primary.
In a GOP debate, long shot Herman Badillo gnawed at billionaire opponent Michael Bloomberg over a pamphlet of offensive gags and jokes attributed to the media executive and given to him as a birthday gift in 1990.
"Thank goodness, we're now beginning to find out who the real Mr. Bloomberg is," Badillo said.
Among Democrats, a Daily News/New York 1 survey released Sunday found that 27 percent of likely voters support Public Advocate Mark Green, 26 percent chose Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, 14 percent backed City Council Speaker Peter Vallone and 13 percent picked Comptroller Alan Hevesi. Twenty percent were undecided.
Vallone, who is seeking moderate-to-conservative white voters, said Ferrer's campaign pledge to aid "the other New York" was divisive.
"It's one city," said Vallone. "It's not us against them."
Ferrer has said the phrase represents New Yorkers of all races who feel they have been left behind during Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's two terms, who lack affordable housing and health care and who fear police officers.
Giuliani is barred by term limits from seeking re-election.
In the Republican debate, also broadcast on WNBC, Bloomberg insisted that the pamphlet was a collection of old jokes "and they don't reflect my values, didn't then and don't now and people that know me know that this stuff is ridiculous."
Badillo suggested that if it could be proven that Bloomberg uttered some of the quips in the book, "those statements would be considered sexual harassment."
The pamphlet is reported in the next edition of New York magazine, which hits newsstands Monday, the eve of the primaries. The magazine made copies of the story available to reporters on Friday.
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