LIZ PEEK: Cuomo stands between NYC and chaos — Sliwa should know when to exit

The only people who might have enjoyed watching New York City’s first mayoral candidate debate were real estate agents in Florida. They know more transplants will come to them.

For New Yorkers, the encounter reinforced the conclusion many of us had already reached: The only person with deep knowledge of New York City who supports sensible policies on policing, transportation, and job-training expansion is Republican Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, whose chances of winning are next to zero. For the sake of the city to which he devoted his life, Sliwa must withdraw from the race. Now.

Otherwise, the contest faces a choice between bad and terrible, or, to quote Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, “normal and crazy.”

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Here are my five key takeaways from the discussion:

1. It was a terrible argument.

Moderators spent more time interrupting speakers than candidates spent speaking. They seemed particularly eager to unite against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Poor Curtis Sliwa was almost ignored; I understand; The spotlight was on the two leading candidates, but it was extremely disrespectful.

2. Democratic Socialist State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary and consistently led in the polls, was as smooth as hair butter.

He swung and weaved as he did throughout the campaign. Mamdani also grinned and punctuated each comment with her signature grin; As Andrew Cuomo has noted, for someone who has never held a real job and is only 33 years old, he is actually very pleased with himself.

He sidestepped key questions and backed away from past statements and evasions, such as whether he would defend Israel’s right to survival (it still claims the Jewish state is committing genocide in Gaza) and whether he would give up on Hamas. He eventually agreed that the violent Hamas thugs would lay down their weapons, but it wasn’t easy.

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He refused to advocate legalizing prostitution, which angered the Muslim community, and instead advocated decriminalizing the sex trade. Perhaps more importantly to New Yorkers, when asked how he would pay for all the freebies he had promised voters, he offered canned but unconvincing answers about making the rich pay more.

3. Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor and the only option for those who understand Mamdani’s web of deceit, brought some energy to the debate that he failed to achieve during the primary campaign.

He was better prepared, but still not ready to respond with the kind of bombastic sounds Mamdani had mastered. The young Democratic Socialist spent most of the night attacking Cuomo, as did Sliwa. This undermined his ability to design a doable, intelligent agenda for the city.

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Still, Cuomo found some words that resonated with voters, such as when he rightly said that being mayor of a bastion of capitalism has no place for on-the-job training.

4. Republican Curtis Sliwa, by all accounts a well-intentioned and decent man, apparently missed the memo that Cuomo is the only realistic alternative to Mamdani.

He spent too much time attacking the former governor when he should have angered Mamdani for his naivety and inexperience. His deep involvement with New York law enforcement over the years gives Sliwa credibility.

When asked how he would deal with the complexity of running a huge city, he gave an excellent answer, saying that he would hire experienced and knowledgeable people for this. This, by the way, is the key for anyone who succeeds in this incredibly challenging business.

Sliwa’s worst moment was when he chose George Pataki as his favorite president. He obviously hadn’t heard the question, but it was embarrassing.

5. The unhappiest person in New York this morning is Mayor Kathy Hochul.

When asked to raise their hands to show their support for the governor, neither candidate agreed. It was a shame, especially that Hochul had recently been put in a difficult position to support Mamdani. He obviously didn’t ask for her approval in return. Talk about a rookie mistake!

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New Yorkers face a choice: elect Zohran Mamdani, who has no credentials to take over a city with 300,000 employees and a $115 billion budget, or elect Andrew Cuomo, a deeply flawed but experienced alternative.

Voters jumping on the Mamdani train should be aware of the extreme risk that her promises to raise taxes and promote anti-business measures like rent freezes will accelerate the exodus of businesses and residents leaving New York. His anti-Israel rhetoric and barely disguised antisemitism should also alarm New Yorkers.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. New Yorkers elected Bill de Blasio, a progressive leftist, and subsequently experienced a massive decline in quality of life, accompanied by dirtier streets, increased crime, and a steady exodus of residents and businesses. Mamdani’s election promises more of the same.

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There is still a chance that a higher-than-expected voter turnout could topple Mamdani’s leadership. Bill de Blasio was elected to his second term by 8.5% of New Yorkers; Of course people living in this big city can do better than this.

But to make it easier for Cuomo to win, Sliwa must concede. It’s not too late.

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