NEW YORK (WABC) — Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman, offered competing visions Monday on child care and public safety as the race for governor played out in New York City.<\/p>\n
Hochul appeared with Mayor Mamdani in the Bronx before a crowd of cheering parents as they announced a major expansion of the city’s child care program, adding slots for 10,000 2-year-olds in the Bronx and Staten Island.<\/p>\n
“This is what government is all about \u2014 helping our people, lifting us up, supporting our kids, supporting our families!” Hochul said.<\/p>\n
The governor said the effort would extend beyond New York City.<\/p>\n
“We’re just getting warmed up, my friends. This was a huge commitment, but we’re doing it statewide,” Hochul said.<\/p>\n
While Hochul was speaking, Blakeman rode the subway and held a news conference in Midtown Manhattan at the scene of a fatal shooting that occurred over the weekend<\/a>. He criticized Hochul and Mamdani over subway safety.<\/p>\n “Crime in the subways has gone up under Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani. They are not committed to public safety. I will be committed to public safety. I will make sure that our public transportation is safer and cleaner for the traveling public,” Blakeman said.<\/p>\n Major crime in the transit system is up by just under 2% so far this year, but it remains the second-safest year in the past 15 years. Hochul has also provided funding for 300 officers to patrol the subways overnight.<\/p>\n Blakeman also criticized the governor’s child care initiatives, saying he favors using tax credits.<\/p>\n “Listen, I think childcare is very important, but I want childcare for people who work. And I think the best way to do that is to give them a tax credit,” Blakeman said.<\/p>\n Mamdani called Blakeman’s position outrageous.<\/p>\n “He looks at a program like universal child care and says that it’s a reward for lazy parents who are going to sit at home and watch The View. That’s \u2014 the idea that parents are lazy. I do not even know how you can come to justify that, when you look at all that’s required to raise a child in this city,” Mamdani said.<\/p>\n ———-<\/p>\n * Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * More New York City news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts<\/a> <\/p>\n * Download our connected TV app<\/a> <\/p>\n
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