Dear Friend,
I'm so proud of John's performance [yesterday] in the final televised Comptroller's debate. John stayed focused on the issues and went to great lengths to brush off an onslaught of desperate and negative attacks that began with defamatory television ads being broadcast yesterday and dirty literature arriving in mailboxes today.
His opponent had pledged to run a campaign focused on the issues and policy. But since he is behind in the latest poll, David Yassky is running one of the most negative personal ads against John on television that I've seen in a long time.
Unfortunately, tonight's debate proved once again that David Yassky says one thing and does...well, whatever is in his best interest.
Yassky's campaign pledge was to end "Pay to Play" practices, yet he has taken tens of thousands in contributions from individuals with direct business before the Comptroller's office. While we're encouraged that Yassky finally agreed to join John Liu in banning political contributions from individuals who pose a conflict for the Comptroller's office, we're wondering when Mr. Yassky is planning to return these contributions.
Now in the midst of running for higher office, Yassky wants to end discretionary funding. Yet he has doled out more pork than nearly anyone else in the City Council. And some of that funding has gone to sham organizations that benefited his failed run for Congress.
New Yorkers deserve a Comptroller who is principled enough to take a position and stand by it...not someone like the "three-headed Yassky"
-- playing all sides of an issue.
For John Liu, his word is his bond.
Please come out on September 29th and vote for John for Comptroller.
Sincerely,
Juanita Scarlett
People for John Liu
---
NY1: "Comptroller Candidates Hold Final Face-Off" - 9/24/09 <
http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/106312/comptroller-candidates-hold-final-face-off/Default.aspx >EXCERPT - Yassky went after his opponent, accusing him of being dishonest about his record throughout the campaign.
Liu, meanwhile, zeroed in on his opponents vote on the term limits extension. Yassky voted to allow three terms instead of two, but Liu says that vote came only after his opponent offered assurances that he would vote to block the extension.
"When you went on for months telling your constituents, telling good government groups, telling your colleagues that you are not going to support a change in the term limits without going back to the voters,"
Liu said. "We took you at face value, and then at the last minute you tried to introduce some kind of resolution that you knew was dead on arrival and then you wound up voting yes."
---
VILLAGE VOICE: "Yassky Gets Grilled by Liu in Debate" - 9/24/09 <
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/yassky.php >EXCERPT - The non-profit, founded by former councilman Steve DiBrienza, has received millions of dollars in public funds, but when the New York Post and The Brooklyn Paper poked around last March, the organization appeared to have little to no presence in the neighborhood where it claimed to sponsor youth sports teams and anti-graffiti drives.
Yassky also told the Times that he had never personally inspected the group. That's hard to believe, considering tonight's assertion that he went to dinner with its members and the fact that it was run by a colleague who Yassky actively courted for support (see Tom's column).
In tonight's debate, despite many serious questions about the group's credibility and the use of public money, Yassky affirmed the worthiness of the group. And that itself raises a red flag about Yassky -- a man who is running on a platform of transparency.
---
NEW YORK TIMES: "Sparks Finally Fly as Comptroller Candidates Meet in Final Debate" - 9/24/09 <
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/nyregion/25comptroller.html?_r=1 >EXCERPT - Mr. Yassky, who finished second to Mr. Liu in the Democratic primary on Sept. 15, and who has lagged his rival in union endorsements, changed course last week in attacking Mr. Liu.