I'm Curtis Sliwa. This is why I want New York City's vote for mayor

New York City is at a breaking point. Hardworking New Yorkers are being told to accept more corruption, more chaos or more ideological extremism. But there's a real alternative: me.

Zohran Mamdani is a radical socialist with ideas so reckless that even longtime Democrats are alarmed.

In 2021, I warned everyone that Eric Adams, our current mayor, would be corrupt. People didn't listen. Instead, we got resignations, arrests, indictments and a pay-to-play culture that hollowed out City Hall while basic services fell behind and working New Yorkers paid the price.

As for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, he resigned in disgrace after a barrage of sexual harassment allegations that are now being settled with taxpayer dollars. He helped bring us the crime wave New Yorkers live with now by ushering in bail reform, Raise the Age, Less Is More and the HALT Act.

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Cuomo's rent laws punished small property owners, his energy decisions closed Indian Point and drove up utility costs, and his congestion pricing scheme taxes you just for trying to get to work.

Here's the truth that New Yorkers already sense: Cuomo and Mamdani are two sides of the same coin - different labels, same results: higher costs, weaker safety, and ideology over common sense.

I am Curtis Sliwa. I'm not a career politician. I've walked these streets for more than 45 years - riding the subways, patrolling neighborhoods, and standing up for people when no one else would. I founded the Guardian Angels with grit, courage and a red beret. As I once said, "If you do nothing, that just empowers the gangsters."

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I've been to every neighborhood - all 350 of them - including places where Mamdani ran strong, because I'm not afraid to engage and listen.

As mayor, I'll restore public safety and make New York affordable again. I'll hire 7,000 police officers and pay for them by cutting bloated agency budgets, rooting out contract corruption and redirecting money from political cronies to essential services.

Inside the NYPD, we'll end cronyism, stop political promotions and build careers on merit and leadership.

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Affordability must be front and center. Families are being squeezed by taxes, fees, fines and rising costs that City Hall makes worse. I'll lower taxes across the board by cutting waste and returning savings to taxpayers. We'll simplify permits and reform the property tax mess, protect seniors with stronger relief and rein in water rates and city-imposed fees.

Our education system needs honest change. We spend over $42,000 per pupil per year, yet too many students can't read or do math at grade level. I'll shrink Department of Education bureaucracy and put that money into classrooms. I'll restore merit, raise standards and prepare kids for the future. I'll also create parent-controlled education accounts, so families can tap into that exorbitant per-pupil funding and receive a rebate for approved educational purposes - including private school, if they wish.

I'll end the "City of Yes" developer free-for-all. We'll build smarter where infrastructure can handle it and protect one- and two-family neighborhoods that are already stretched to the limit. We'll clear red tape that blocks good projects and stop giveaways that only help insiders.

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Quality of life matters. We'll clean the streets, remove illegal vending that blocks sidewalks, crack down on illegal smoke shops, take back the subways for riders and make sure animal abusers see real jail time.

City government will live within its means and deliver the services you pay for.

Government must be accountable to the people. I'll publish a citywide performance dashboard so every New Yorker can see what's working and what's not, open the books on contracts, ban pay-to-play and audit every agency for results.

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I'll show up in every community and keep showing up.

New Yorkers want safety, affordability, and basic competence back in City Hall. I'm the only one in this race who's delivered for decades without holding office.

This election isn't about left or right. It's about right and wrong. You don't have to choose the lesser of two evils. You don't have to pick between the architect, Cuomo, and the apprentice, Mamdani. You can choose change.

You've seen what I've done for decades without a title. Imagine what I'll do with one.