Weiner, speaking in front of PS 35, makes final stop on 5-borough tour to declare Democratic candidacy

Thursday, August 04, 2005

By BEN EBEN NEWHOUSE and MICHAEL SCHOLL

Standing in front of PS 35 in Sunnyside, Democratic mayoral candidate Rep. Anthony Weiner promised yesterday to "honor and treasure" public school teachers with better wages, more curriculum input and deference on enforcing discipline.

Backed by Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) and Dr. Barry Kaufman, former president of the Citywide Council on High Schools, Weiner was making the last stop of a five-borough tour to announce his candidacy.

Weiner, who represents a Brooklyn-Queens congressional district, also criticized Mayor Michael Bloomberg's creation of a paid parent coordinator position, saying the money should be spent in the classroom, and that parents instead be rewarded with better schools.

Weiner declined to say what terms he'd offer, but told the Advance that renewing contracts with public school teachers would be one of the first priorities of his administration.

"We're losing some of our best teachers to the suburbs being penny-wise and pound-foolish," Weiner said.

On issues specific to the Island, Weiner voiced his opposition to NASCAR's planned track, and said he'd ease congestion by synchronizing traffic lights.

Before arriving at PS 35, Weiner told reporters at City Hall that he was running for mayor because he wants to help middle-class New Yorkers he says are too often ignored by the Bloomberg administration, which he claimed was preoccupied with the concerns of real estate developers and sports team owners.

Weiner said his plan for helping the middle class includes a 10 percent cut in the city income tax for people earning less than $150,000 a year. He would make up for the lost revenue by raising taxes on those making more than $1 million a year and by cracking down on waste in city spending.

Weiner said he would direct a larger amount of municipal spending toward small and unionized businesses that operate within city limits. He also said he would help people who don't have health insurance by making it easier for them to apply for Medicaid.

Weiner cast aspersions on the Mayor's 311 phone system, which Bloomberg frequently points to as a signature accomplishment of his first term, saying the amount of calls it received was indicative of too many citywide problems.

Bloomberg spokesperson Stu Loeser responded that "Anthony Weiner may be the first politician ever to come out and criticize parental involvement in the schools and government responding to citizens' problems through 311."

As for representing the middle class, Loeser said, "If Anthony Weiner thinks lowering crime, delivering homeowners property tax rebates, eliminating the city's sales tax on clothing and shoes under $110, creating new jobs in all five boroughs, and fighting overdevelopment on Staten Island and elsewhere aren't middle-class issues, then he has no business running for mayor."

When asked why he was "announcing" his candidacy yesterday when he has already been running for mayor for several months, Weiner said it was appropriate for him to introduce himself to voters who have yet to begin paying attention the race and to those whom he has thus far been unable to reach because he has been in Washington performing his duties as a congressman.

"I've got a pretty serious day job," said Weiner, who will be able to spend more time in New York now that Congress has begun its August recess.

Ben Eben Newhouse is a news reporter for the Advance and Michael Scholl covers City Hall. They may be reached at newhouse@siadvance.com and scholl@siadvance.com.