The crowd at John Liu’s announcement event overflowed so much that he had to give his speech twice. (Credit: Emily Johnson.)
Comptroller John Liu announced his candidacy for mayor on the steps of City Hall on Sunday – and then announced it all over again for an overflow crowd of hundreds who had clamored to be let through the gates.
Surrounded by a multicultural coalition brandishing signs that represented all five boroughs, Liu said he would create opportunities for New Yorkers.
“I proudly announce that I am running to be mayor of the city of New York, because this is a city that makes a promise to us, that every single New Yorker has a chance to succeed,” he said. “And I’m going to make damn sure that promise is fulfilled.”
Liu said he would halt the closures of underperforming schools and the controversial NYPD practice of stop-and frisk. Rather than a mayor of the proverbial one percent, he said, he would be a “mayor of the 100 percent.”
“This can’t be a city of the rich and poor, of them and us,” he said. “New York needs to be one city. One city where we take care of the needy and take on the greedy.”
His appearance at City Hall was only one stop in a whirlwind tour that had already seen him hit four of the five boroughs by 3 p.m., with stops in the Bronx planned for later that night.
With his candidacy now official, Liu joins a field of Democrats that includes his predecessor as comptroller, Bill Thompson; City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.
If elected, Liu will be the city’s first Asian-American mayor. A large contingent of Taiwanese-Americans was in attendance to cheer on his announcement.
The announcement comes amid an ongoing investigation into Liu’s campaign finances, with two of his former aides set to go on trial next month for conspiracy to commit fraud.
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