Candidates to face questions on Malcolm Smith scandal at mayoral forum
In the first major political event to take place since the scandal erupted involving the arrest of a state senator and a councilman allegedly looking to bribe their way into the race for mayor, the five Democratic mayoral candidates are taking part in a forum tonight in Brooklyn Heights, where they are sure to be asked some tough questions.
The mayoral forum, sponsored by the Brooklyn Reform Coalition, a group of reform clubs from around the borough, will take place tonight, April 3, at Saint Francis College, 180 Remsen St., starting at 6:30 p.m. Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu, former comptroller William Thompson, and former Bay Ridge councilman Sal Albanese all accepted the invitation to appear at the forum.
The forum comes one day after the mayor’s race was turned upside down by the scandal surrounding state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and Councilman Daniel Halloran (D-Queens), who were arrested by the FBI on April 2. Politicker reported that Smith, a Democrat, allegedly sought to bribe Republican Party chairmen in order to secure a spot on the mayoral ballot on the GOP line. Halloran, a Republican, is charged with serving as a middle man between Smith and the GOP party leaders. The Bronx GOP Chairman Jay Savino and the vice chairman of the Queens Republican party, Vince Tabone, were also arrested in the still unfolding scandal. In order to secure the GOP spot on the ballot, Smith would have had to get waivers from at least three of the five Republican county leaders in the city.