Candidates prove Small Business issues are in their wheelhouse.

St. Francis College hosted its second Mayoral forum on “Workforce Development and Small Business issues”. Tuesday’s quick-moving forum featured GOP candidates John Catsimatidis, Joe Lhota, George McDonald and Independence party candidate Adolpho Carrion, Jr.

Answers were candid and in-depth, and showed each candidate understands the challenges facing the NY economy. Each answer demonstrated an advantage of the Republican contenders vs. the Democrats who all gathered for the exact forum earlier in April (no matter their lack of a first-hand connection with the subject matter). Too bad, they couldn’t do this together.

NY-1’s Errol Louis moderated the forum, with an interesting array of questions presented by each of NYC’s chambers of commerce and hosted by the Brooklyn Chamber. Mr. Carrion showed clear skill across many answers. Mr. Catsimatidis was passionate about issues facing storefront businesses, as he’s been contending with them for 40 years. Mr. McDonald has run the Doe Fund for 25 years.

Joe Lhota’s experience as Deputy Mayor and within business management made for intelligent responses – but was attacked on the issue of raising Verrazano tolls (he called it a “cheap shot”). Revealing was Mr. Lhota’s response of the increases being an “every two year” occurrence by NYS legislation – that the public may not be aware that next year, and 2 years from then, the tolls are going up further.

For the entire debate – posted by Brooklyn Independent TV on youTube – just click.

Online summary by Brooklyn’s Home Reporter News (click). 

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