Public Advocate Bill de Blasio delivered the fireworks a day early.
Standing at the end of Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park to call for the Fourth of July fireworks display’s return to the East River, Mr. de Blasio took aim at both Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey, and Christine Quinn, the City Council’s Democratic speaker–who happens to be his rival in the mayor’s race.
“If New Jerseyans need a big show, they get one from Chris Christie every day,” Mr. de Blasio quipped as he made his case with State Senator Daniel Squadron and Councilman Steve Levin. “So they really don’t need fireworks on top of that.”
Mr. de Blasio also hit Mayor Michael Bloomberg, saying that City Hall’s refusal to allow the fireworks to take place on the East River was another indication that the administration doesn’t care about the outer boroughs–a message Mr. de Blasio has repeatedly highlighted in his own bid for Gracie Mansion.
“People in the outer boroughs have gotten used to having things taken away during the Bloomberg years. And they’ve gotten used to the fact that they don’t get an explanation why. Mayor Bloomberg has consistently shown insensitivity to people in Brooklyn and Queens, in the Bronx and Staten Island as well,” the city’s public advocate said. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A topic even more incendiary than fireworks has been the increasingly negative mayor’s race, where Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been trading harsh shots with Mr. de Blasio and a third candidate, former Comptroller Bill Thompson. In a televised interview with NY1’s Road to City Hall last night, Ms. Quinn slammed Mr. de Blasio’s own criticisms as “desperate,” a characterization Mr. de Blasio depicted today as a “meltdown.”
“I think Speaker Quinn has a lot to hide in terms of her incessant support for special interests, her unyielding support for Michael Bloomberg. And she knows the people don’t like it. She knows she’s had an unprecedented drop in the polls because the people of this city, especially Democrats, are rejecting her constant alliance with Bloomberg,” he said.
Ms. Quinn’s spokesman, Mike Morey, fired back, slamming Mr. de Blasio’s comments as “laughable.”
“Mr. de Blasio has been running one of the angriest campaigns for mayor in memory. It’s laughable that he feigns outrage when Christine Quinn calls him out for his increasingly desperate strategy and behavior,” he said via email.
