By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

NEW YORK – The voters of New York City should know something about Bill Thompson and Bill de Blasio, two of the candidates vying to replace Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Neither appears to have any interest in serving all the families of the city.  That’s because both appear very interested in serving the powerful United Federation of Teachers.

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The teachers union, which despises Bloomberg and his efforts to improve education in the city, is expected to endorse a candidate for mayor next week, according to the New York Post. Thompson and de Blasio are leading contenders for that valuable endorsement.

That’s probably why the two candidates both cancelled their scheduled appearance at a form sponsored by Families for Excellent Schools, an organization that supporters charter schools.

The UFT, like all teachers unions, hates charter schools, because they steal students (and the state aid attached to them) from traditional public schools, and typically hire non-union teachers. The UFT has been trying to block the ability of charter schools to open or co-locate in existing public school buildings, even when plenty of space is available.

Hundreds of parents screamed and booed when the last-minute cancellations were announced, according to the news report. Both candidates claimed to have scheduling conflicts, but few people reportedly believed them.

“We need a good mayor and we need to know who to pick,” Judith Rodriguez, a mother of four, was quoted as saying. “So if they’re not here, I don’t know how I’m going to feel.”

It seems pretty simple from our perspective.

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New York voters who believe the city’s education system is just fine the way it is, and want a mayor who jumps through all the hoops presented by the UFT, should take a long look at Thompson or de Blasio.

Those who want the city’s chief executive to serve the entire community, rather than just the narrow agenda of the teachers union, might want to consider other candidates.