Maya Wiley releases housing plan, battles with police union
Maya Wiley is trying to be the last progressive standing.
BY COURTNEY GROSS
[Ed. - NYPAN endorsed Maya Wiley from the beginning]
After two of her progressive rivals had unexpected campaign scandals, Wiley is trying to capture the remaining progressive momentum in the five boroughs.
She unveiled a housing plan Tuesday to greatly expand the city's rental assistance program.
"We're also going to create a rent subsidy that says if you are family earning 54,000 a year or less we're going to make sure you can afford the rent," Wiley said at a press conference in Washington Square Park.
Before that she released a new ad -- focusing on police reform.
"They rammed into peaceful protesters, beat others to the ground and New York's leaders defended it. But it was an injustice to those of us who know black lives matter," the ad says. Wiley herself is narrating it.
It immediately sparked outrage from some police unions.
The head of the sergeants union, Ed Mullins, sent NY1 this statement: "Maya Wiley is a De Blasio flunky and will soon be put on a shelf with other loser politicians who attempt to live off a government paycheck. Sadly, her silence on the increasing violence in NYC is indicative of how out of touch she is with the city and explains why she’s losing in the polls.”
Wiley fired back – calling the union racist.
"You're done. You're done with the racism,” Wiley said. “And it doesn't work on me. You cannot bully me. You can't tell New Yorkers that you get to say who their leaders are."
Wiley used the moment to try to boost her progressive credentials again.
One rival, Dianne Morales, is dealing with an ongoing revolt by much of her campaign staff.
Over the weekend, one influential group, The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, rescinded its Morales endorsement and backed Wiley instead. Its leader appeared alongside the candidate on Tuesday.
"We're very, very pro union,” said the club’s president, Allen Roskoff. “And we just felt like there was no path and we had an excellent candidate in the waiting. It was a very, very easy decision."