New York Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to furlough himself and his staff for a week is “a joke.”
During a Thursday appearance on Newsmax TV’s “National Report,” the candidate for the House of Representatives ripped de Blasio for wasting billions of dollars and mismanaging the city.
“I think that a lot of New Yorkers think that he’s been on a paid furlough and hasn’t shown up to work for the last four years,” she said of the mayor, adding his furlough to save about a million of dollars is “really nothing” when you look at the deficit the city is facing.
She blasted de Blasio for increasing spending by 35% since taking office and accused him of squandering money on programs like Thrive NYC and his renewal schools program.
“We’re talking about billions of dollars that have been wasted,” she said. “And there's been no accountability.”
She said de Blasio has done nothing to help “reopen our economy wisely and safely” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Malliotakis said one of the reasons she is running against Rep. Max Rose is to bring back a two-party system to the state of New York. She said the city has gone “so far to the left,” which is causing crime to skyrocket and people to leave the city.
“I am the law and order candidate,” she said, noting her stance earned her an endorsement from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and police unions. “Law and order is the No. 1 issue facing this constituency.”
She slammed de Blasio for defunding the police, wanting to release people from jail without bail, and attempting to close down Rikers Island.
“People do not feel safe in New York City anymore,” she said citing an uptick in shootings, burglaries, and overall crime. “The quality of life has deteriorated.”
She said the spike in crime is one of the reasons people are fleeing the city.
In discussing a recent survey conducted by Siena College Research Institute that found 44% of high-income earners are considering moving out of the city, she said she isn’t surprised.
She said she warned of an exodus when she ran against de Blasio in 2017.
“It’s not just the high-income earners, it’s the middle-class families as well who cannot afford this city anymore,” she said.
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