Free Republic

Two of the city’s three leading mayoral candidates debated on live television last night. But the most prominent one was MIA. Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate and the Democratic nominee, who is leading by as many as 50 points in public polls, skipped the first major debate of the general election–despite repeated requests from NY1.So instead, Joe Lhota and Adolfo Carrión, the nominees of the Republican and Independence parties, took the stage to debate one another in the front-runner’s absence. In addition to fielding questions on stop-and-frisk, transportation policies and various controversial elements of their pasts, both candidates...