Overcast and chilly weather be damned, four Democratic mayoral candidates took the field yesterday in what seemed like Opening Day for the campaign season.
Leading off was Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who took a swing at federal lawmakers for tampering with school funding.
In the next inning, City Council Speaker Peter Vallone pitched an $8 million plan to subsidize prescription drug costs for middle-income elderly.
Borough President Fernando Ferrer made the road trip from The Bronx to City Hall, where he stood with a team of Latino and black cops to call for a shakeup of the Civilian Complaint Review Board.
Batting cleanup, Public Advocate Mark Green also took a swing at drug costs, advocating a new law to update the way prices are posted in pharmacies.
“Busy day,” said Green, greeting reporters at his office. “The Sunday shift is no longer as easy as it used to be.”
The candidates themselves downplayed the timing of their dueling press conferences yesterday with the claim that they were focused on issues more than politics.
Hevesi was joined by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn) to call on Congress and the Bush administration to reinstate federal funding worth $82 million to the city to reduce class size.
“Alan Hevesi is going to make education his top priority as mayor. Reducing class size is the centerpiece of his education proposal,” said a campaign spokesman, Josh Isay.
Pulling a program from his budget proposal, Vallone had Councilman Victor Robles and a handful of senior citizens in his lineup for a news conference in City Hall about prescription-drug subsidies.
Robert Croom, an aide to Queens Assemblyman William Scarborough, was called on to talk about Vallone’s drug plan. Instead, he lauded Vallone’s campaign strategy of personally visiting senior centers.
Ferrer stood outside City Hall with members of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement and the Latino Officers Association to pitch a 10-point plan to reform the CCRB – a plan he conceded has been out for months.
“Let’s cut to the chase – this is campaign season,” said Lt. Eric Adams of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, which has yet to endorse a candidate. “This is all about making sure the right programs are in place.”
Green, well known for his Sunday press conferences, claimed credit for taking the lead on all three of the day’s issues.
“I think it’s good news for the public and for the mayor’s race if my three very experienced competitors are now joining me in focusing on these very important issues,” he quipped.