NY1 will host the only televised debate of the race Friday night, a campaign that is heating up and taking place behind closed doors. As NY1 Political reporter Courtney Gross explains, it's also bringing up a familiar issue.
This podium in the middle of the chamber is reserved for the City Council speaker.
Come January, one of eight men will take the post.
They include Mark Levine, Corey Johnson, and Ydanis Rodriguez of Manhattan, Robert Cornegy and Jumaane Williams of Brooklyn, Jimmy Van Bramer and Donovan Richards of Queens, and Ritchie Torres of the Bronx.
All of them are Democrats.
For months, there have been behind-the-scenes campaigning - wheeling and dealing largely done under the radar.
The 51 Council members are the only people who get to vote in the January election.
The winning candidate needs to grab a majority of votes, or at least 26 out of 51.
This race has brought up campaign issues once forgotten, like extending term limits for the Council.
On Thursday, speaker candidates Jumaane Williams and Ydanis Rodriguez introduced legislation to extend term limits for council members from two to three terms. If approved by the council, the proposal would go to the voters via referendum.
Mayor Bill de Blasio slammed the move, calling it pandering just for the speaker's race.
"I understand everyone is pandering so I presume they will all be equal opportunity panderers and it will nullify," said De Blasio. "I would just say to the speaker candidates I understand it's an appealing thing to say to your immediate electorate in the speaker election, but you got a more important electorate to think about and that's a people."
Williams, the proposal's main sponsor, said, "Well, the mayor probably shouldn't throw stones in a glass house. I would ask him why has he not moved on police legislation when he was brought into office. If he's talking about pandering I think he avoids specific conversations during an election period because he was pandering to particular folks he thought might be uncomfortable with him."
We should note the mayor could have sway over the race. He has been meeting with candidates to discuss their prospects.
We are learning other stakeholders are also weighing in.
Sources tell us the city's teachers union has been calling council members to dissuade them from supporting one of the leading candidates, Robert Cornegy. When we asked officials at the union about this, they sent us this statement:
“The UFT has been in discussions with Council members about all the potential candidates for speaker.”
Errol Louis will moderate the 90-minute debate exclusively on NY1 at the CUNY graduate center in Midtown starting at 7 p.m.