U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D−Bayside) has crossed party lines to support Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s re−election bid, praising the mayor for his support of citywide counter−terrorism efforts and Israel.
Ackerman, chairman of the House Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee, applauded Bloomberg’s creation of a city counter−terrorism coordination center. The congressman also said he supported a third term for the mayor, who is running on the independent line, because the city Police Department has trained 1,000 of its officers for counter−terrorism measures during his tenure.
“The security of our city and its economic viability as the heart of our nation’s economy in these perilous times has caused me to conclude that Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership is essential,” Ackerman said. “I enthusiastically endorse his re−election.”
Ackerman is the latest high−profile Democrat to endorse the mayor, following nods by former Mayor Ed Koch, state Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D−Queens Village) and former U.S. Rep. Floyd Flake, the senior pastor of Jamaica’s Greater Allen AME Cathedral.
Earlier this year, the mayor traveled with Ackerman and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to Israel to express support for the Jewish state.
“We share a very similar worldview with respect to supporting Israel and keeping New Yorkers safe from terrorist threats,” Bloomberg said of the congressman.
— Nathan Duke
