New York's mayoral candidates trade barbs — and compliments

NEW YORK — The candidates running to become New York City’s mayor lobbed accusations at each other about palling around with gangsters and acting like children or clowns, but their second debate ended on a surprisingly tender note involving cats and veganism.

A week before the city picks a new mayor, Democrat Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa laid out their plans Tuesday for addressing rising violent crime in the city and how to chart a path out of the pandemic’s deadly wake.

The men were asked to say something nice about each other to close the debate: Sliwa saluted Adams' commitment to veganism, and Adams praised Sliwa for his animal welfare work; The Republican is a cat dad to 15 or more felines. (The New York Times said he had 16.)

It was the second meeting between Adams, the Brooklyn Borough president who is widely expected to win the election, and Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol. Tuesdays' debate aired on ABC7.

PIX11's Dan Mannarino interviewed each candidate Monday for a PIX11 forum, where they discussed vaccine mandates, public transit and education.

Read more from PIX11 here:

• PIX11's political coverage
• Adams, Sliwa: Candidates on crime, COVID, schools and storm preparedness
• PIX11: Your Local Election Headquarters