David Dinkins, the city's 106th mayor, endorsed fellow Democrat William Thompson on the steps of City Hall this afternoon.Dinkins issued the following statement in connection with the endorsement:
"I'm proud that Bill, our city comptroller and a New Yorker with such a rich history of public service to this city, is in position to become our next mayor, and I'm looking forward to working with you and your neighbors to help him along that road to City Hall.
During these tough economic times, our city needs Bill Thompson. Now more than ever, we need a mayor who can appreciate just how deeply these tough times are affecting New Yorkers -- our families and our communities as well as our businesses and banking institutions.
Bill Thompson's commitment to creating new jobs, to quality education, to affordable housing, and to supporting small businesses didn't start yesterday. And it is his longstanding commitment to creating opportunities for all New Yorkers that makes him the right person for the job.
I look forward to campaigning with Bill Thompson over the next six months, and I invite you to join me in supporting him as he travels to your neighborhood...on the road to City Hall."
That Dinkins, a friend of Mayor Bloomberg, has so publicly demonstrated his loyalty to his fellow Democrat Thompson, when other so-called "Democrats" are hot-footing it over to Team Bloomberg, is a classy and refreshingly old-school move. Nice.
Without party loyalty, the word "Democrat" means nothing.
