All five Democratic mayoral hopefuls now say they would not have held the New York City marathon on Sunday.
Council Speaker Christine Quinn, D-Manhattan, released a somewhat qualified statement to The Insider saying she disagreed with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s initial decision to continue with the race in the wake of Sandy.“The decision to move forward with the marathon is not a decision I would have made,” Ms. Quinn said. “That said, I think we need to look forward and continue to focus on the task at hand: helping those without electricity, food and water and rebuilding our city.”
Others are still calling for the event’s cancellation. This afternoon, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Comptroller John Liu flipped their positions and now oppose holding the marathon on Sunday. (The full statements are below.) Previously, both had expressed support, but over the past day there has been backlash from Staten Island elected officials, as well as a New York Post headline this morning trashing the idea.
Two of Ms. Quinn’s potential mayoral opponents, ex-Comptroller Bill Thompson and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, had initially come out against holding the marathon, with Mr. Thompson (the only declared mayoral candidate) deciding a day earlier than Mr. Stringer.
Observers of city politics are waiting to see if Mayor Michael Bloomberg, known as someone who doesn’t bend to public pressure, will continue to support holding the marathon following the unanimous opposition by his potential successors. But the mayor, who is prevented by term limits from running again, does not have the burden of having to face the voters in 2013.
Mr. de Blasio’s office just released this statement:
“The pain and suffering still unfolding in our neighborhoods is too deep for words. I walked more streets with Councilman Oddo in Staten Island today, and listened to people who still remain without power, food and water–so near the race’s starting point. It’s convinced me the needs are simply too great to divert any resources from the recovery. Lodgings reserved for marathoners must be re-allocated to utility workers. We need to postpone the marathon and keep our focus where it belongs: on public safety and vital relief operations.”
And Mr. Liu’s office released this one:
“Earlier this week, I stated support for keeping the New York City Marathon, which is a huge economic generator for the city, on schedule assuming that the city’s infrastructure would be able to support the race and New Yorkers’ safety can be ensured. Unfortunately, it has become apparent over the last couple of days that there are still large parts of the city where recovery efforts are falling short, where fellow New Yorkers remain hungry and cold, and where there is now more and more looting. As I have traveled throughout the boroughs since Sandy struck, it has become clear that the marathon would compromise the city’s ability to protect and provide for the residents most affected by the hurricane. Recovery efforts must come before the marathon and it’s time to re-evaluate whether the resources needed for the marathon can really be spared on Sunday.”
One Republican candidate for mayor, Tom Allon, chided the Democratic contenders, but said he would have postponed the marathon as well:
“We’re living in a highly-charged and evolving crisis and the mayor’s leadership has been sound thus far. Second-guessing the mayor’s decision on the scheduling of the marathon is an easy way for the Democratic mayoral candidates for 2013 to get attention and score points with outraged New Yorkers. The anger that is being expressed by the elected leaders of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens reflects the concerns and frustrations being felt for the ongoing hardships of their constituents. For them, the marathon symbolizes misplaced priorities.
“Personally, I would have delayed the marathon for at least a week, like the Knicks-Nets game was postponed for four days [actually 25 days], so that we can concentrate on helping all those in need and getting our electricity and mass transit back.”
Also, Mike Long, the chairman of the state Conservative Party, released a letter to the mayor urging him to cancel the race. It called for all the supplies assembled for the marathon to be redirected to hurricane relief, though the letter omitted that the supplies belong to the race, a private event, not to the city. Mr. Long wrote:
“As you know, I am a firm supporter of the marathon in New York City, but you must rethink your decision to allow the marathon to be held on Sunday.
“The devastation from Sandy is still raw; people are suffering, far too many are homeless in Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens. Sandy’s destructive forces created far too much chaos and the real life needs of the residents of New York City must be the priority now.
“The marathon must be postponed until the time when New York residents have the necessities they need; electricity, food, water, washed up debris removed and gasoline.
“Mr. Mayor, you must put the needs of our residents first; the marathon must wait, New Yorkers are strong and will eventually recover, but they need more time to do so.
“Our first responders, needed in a marathon, also need time to process Sandy’s wrath and be able to get their personal lives back in order.
“A partial list of what is needed during past marathons includes 12 ferries, 500 buses, 1,694 portable toilets, 42,000 PowerBars, 90,000 bottles of water and 563 pounds of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee beans, enough to make 45,000 cups (that’s just at the start line), 62,370 gallons of water and 32,040 gallons of Gatorade, another 60,000 PowerBar Gel packets, 11,410 pounds of ice, 13,475 bandages, 57,059 salt packages and 390 tubs of Vaseline. 435 cots and 30 defibrillators. The people and resources needed to provide these articles should be helping the victims of Sandy.”