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Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan Discusses Support For Bloomberg Presidential Bid

Mike Bloomberg, Kathy Sheehan
Composite Image From Twitter
Mike Bloomberg, Kathy Sheehan

It has been an up and down few weeks for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s bid for the White House. But the mayors of Albany and Schenectady say he is the right choice for president.

Third-term Democrat Gary McCarthy of Schenectady endorsed Bloomberg in mid-January, hailing the billionaire as a "problem solver."

On February 3rd, second-term Democratic Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan followed suit.    "I think that Mike Bloomberg has focused his efforts on doing the most good for the most people. And when I look at who is supporting Mike, and you know, the, the breadth and depth and diversity of his support, it says a lot about the belief that people have in his leadership across the spectrum. And so I was in New York, with mayors from across the country, many of them African American mayors, who strongly support Mike. And so I think it's important for people to recognize that this is an individual who is willing to admit when they make a mistake, who's willing to learn from those mistakes and who is really focused on doing the most good for the most people."

Bloomberg publicly apologized after a sound bite from 2015 went viral, where the candidate describes the  NYPD's "Stop and Frisk" policy as a means to reduce violence by putting minority youth "up against the walls and frisk them." He disavowed the entire program.

On February 13th, Democratic Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren added her name the list of the mayor’s backers.

Sheehan says Bloomberg’s positions on gun control and affordable housing are relevant to Albany’s interests.   "And I would encourage people to look at his plans. Look at his criminal justice reform plans, look at his plans around building wealth in the black community. Look at his plans around ensuring that we're providing a quality education and look at what he was able to accomplish in narrowing the achievement gap in New York City."

Center For Law And Justice Executive Director Alice Green says the city's black community might not be so sure.   "I think people are expressing some skepticism about Bloomberg. Because as you know, the issue around the stop and frisk is one that the community's been talking a lot about and the impact of that on incarceration in New York City and some issues for us here in Albany as well. So, that is a very important issue. But at the same time, I think people who, you know, are really trying to figure out who they can support and, and who can beat Trump."

Green points out that former Vice President Joe Biden is very popular with minorities. She says locals are also beginning to warm up to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders because he “speaks to a lot of issues they can identify with, including health care, education and equity.”

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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