NEW YORK — Early voting in New York City is underway, have you voted?
This year’s format will be different with ranked choice voting, however Mayoral Candidate Ray McGuire said he likely will not pick a number-two candidate or any others on his ballot.
He spoke with PIX11 News about what he thinks about the latest polls, ranked-choice voting, crime in the city, affordable housing, schools and vaccines.
Ranked choice
With ranked choice voting, voters can rank five candidates to increase their say in the election.
Who would be his No. 2 pick?
McGuire said he is “not convinced who else can be the caretaker for this city” and may not even select more candidates for his ballot.
Many officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, have advised New Yorkers to rank five members in order to have more say in their votes.
Latest poll
The latest PIX11, NewsNation, Emerson College poll has McGuire him at 3% at the bottom of the leading contenders.
What did McGuire think of the polling?
He said he is still “more than confident” with his standing given his recent talks with New Yorkers.
“They want something new, they want something different,” he said.
Crime
New York City continues to see a rise in crime and gun violence.
How does McGuire plan to tackle crime? He said the city needs to have those who are highly trained to understand how to extract guns and get repeat offenders off the streets.
He also said the city is “not invested” in communities and that needs to change.
He also does not have a police commissioner in mind, but is talking to multiple candidates.
Washington Square Park with police
Recent curfews at Washington Square Park caused chaos with police. McGuire said he would have gotten the NYPD involved earlier and brought in people who are part of the cure violence initiative to help deescalate tensions.
Affordable housing
McGuire previously said he would dedicate up to 500 million to create affordable housing, specifically for seniors.
Where would he get the money from?
McGuire said his overall plan, From Homelessness to Home Ownership, would include investing $2.5 billion, which is capable in the capital budget’s capacity.
Schools and vaccines
McGuire said he would not mandate vaccinations for students and teachers.
What would a classroom look like in this case?
McGuire said based on the data, COVID-19 cases in schools have been low.
He remains concerned over a possible rise in cases, but said he will continue to follow the CDC protocol for mask-wearing in schools.
