Liu Lays Out NYC Mayoral Bid to Jewish Media

John Liu, New York City’s comptroller who is making an upstart bid for mayor, on Tuesday laid out a progressive agenda for the city in a briefing to Jewish media outlets in his Manhattan office, drawing a hard line on most private school aid but saying that a Liu administration would disengage from regulating bris milah.

Liu discussed his proposed four-year “people’s” budget, which his office released last week, including a $15 billion boost in spending on education, an additional 5,000 cops on the street, and giving tax breaks to small-business owners by raising
taxes on high-income earners, defined as anyone making more than $500,000 a year.

“I imagine the Wall Street folks are not [enamored] with this proposal,” Liu said, “but this is a budget that reflects the priorities of New York City.”

Liu addressed the current trial of his former campaign treasurer, Jenny Hou, who was charged with defrauding the city by faking matching campaign funds. He said that it seemed odd that prosecutors want her jailed for up to 65 years for faking receipts.

But Liu said that the trial and accompanying spotlight has not “affected my work or the work of this office one bit.”

Asked about his stance on metzitzah b’peh, for which the city health department requires a notification to parents apprising them of the alleged health risks although an array of medical and legal experts have said there was no risk of infection, Liu said he does not support regulating any religious practice.

“I would defer to the rabbis on this,” he said. “For thousands of years this has been a practice that has been observed. And Mayor Bloomberg should know better than this. I’m not in support of the changes that Mayor Bloomberg made.”

Some of the other Democratic mayoral candidates, including Bill Thompson and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, have said that they would study the issue of MBP more in depth, with an eye on public safety and the separation of church and state, while former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, a Republican, said that he supports Bloomberg on milah regulation.

Liu stated in no uncertain terms that he was not in favor of tuition relief for yeshivah parents since it would take much-needed money away from the public school system. But he said he supports various other benefits, such as nurses in private schools that have more than 250 students and providing free bus transportation.

“Short of vouchers there are things that the city could do a better job at,” he said, later adding that he would not even support tax credits since they are “essentially a voucher.”

Liu defended welcoming the endorsement of Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn), a divisive politician who has made incendiary remarks about Jews and Israel.

“I served with Councilman Barron in the city council for eight years and I agree with him on some things,” he said. “Obviously I don’t agree with him on all his things, but he surprised me by showing up to my announcement.”

Liu asked that people judge him for who he is, and not merely by who supports him.

This article appeared in print on page D1 of the April 24th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.