Bay Ridge

Grimm, Recchia battle in first head to head debate

October 1, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm (left) and his challenger, former councilmember Domenic Recchia, get set for their big debate Wednesday in Bay Ridge. It was the first time the two have faced each other.
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U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm and his opponent, former Councilmember Domenic Recchia, met for their first head-to-head debate Wednesday morning. While the questions from the audience were provocative, it was the candidates’ questions to each other that generated the most heat.

Recchia, a Democrat, asked Grimm how he planned to serve in Congress when he is facing a 20-count federal indictment and is scheduled to stand trial in December. Grimm, a Republican, was indicted in April on fraud and other charges stemming from alleged wrongdoing during his ownership of a health food restaurant prior to his election to congress in 2010. Recchia also sought to paint Grimm as a man with no friends in Washington.

“Your leadership wants no part of you,” he said, referring to House Republican leaders.

“Everyone is entitled to their day in court, so I will have my day in court,” Grimm answered.

As for Recchia’s reference that the GOP leadership is distancing itself from him, Grimm said that he was still an effective lawmaker who got Superstorm Sandy relief funding for the district, pushed through a bill to reform flood insurance and got funding to keep a vital anti-terrorism unit at the U.S. Garrison at Fort Hamilton in Bay Ridge.

“My record speaks for itself. I am one of the most effective members of Congress,” Grimm said during the debate, which took place at the Fort Hamilton Senior Citizen Center in Bay Ridge.

In his questions to Recchia, Grimm sought to portray his rival as a tax and spent progressive who would serve as a rubber stamp for the policies of President Barack Obama and Mayor Bill de Blasio. In addition, Grimm hinted that Recchia was a bad fit for a conservative-leaning congressional district. Grimm charged that Recchia, as a council member, voted to raise property taxes by 18.5 percent and voted in favor of a congestion pricing plan that would have instituted an $8 toll on the Brooklyn Bridge.

“How does that help anyone in this room?” Grimm asked. “How do you justify those votes?”

Recchia, who served on the City Council for 12 years, said the council took action that was necessary in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“After 9/11, this City Council and the Republican mayor, Michael Bloomberg, had to do something. The federal government was not there to help us. We saved the city. We protected the city,” Recchia said.

The council and the mayor also saved the city from financial ruin during the recession that began in 2008, he said, adding that there were no layoffs of cops, firefighters or teachers.

“I’m proud of my record,” he said.  Recchia served as chairman of the council’s Finance Committee for four years.

Recchia accused Grimm of distorting his record.

“He lied to the FBI, he lied to the U.S. Attorney’s office and he’s lying to you here today,” Recchia told the audience in the standing-room-only debate hall.

“I am not going to be disrespectful by calling my opponent a liar,” Grimm said. “But he didn’t answer the question. He voted for congestion pricing. Look at the record. He voted to raise every tax he could,” the incumbent said.

The two candidates also argued over comprehensive immigration reform. Recchia, who said the House has failed to deal with the sensitive issue, touted his support for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and increased border security. Grimm charged that the Obama Administration’s policies have led to a porous border that encourages illegal immigration. “We need to start worrying about the Americans in this country,” he said.

Wednesday’s debate marked the first time Grimm and Recchia have faced each other. Recchia did not attend a debate last week sponsored by the Bay Ridge Community Council, citing a scheduling conflict. His absence meant Grimm, who did show up, had the floor to all himself that night.

The two men are vying for the seat in the 11th Congressional District, which covers the entire borough of Staten Island and takes in parts of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Gravesend in Brooklyn. Grimm, who was elected in 2010, is running for his third term in office. The race is one of the most closely-watched contests in the country.

A recent NY1/Capital New York/ Siena College poll found that the race is very close, with Grimm holding a slim, four-point lead over Recchia. Grimm had 44 percent to Recchia’s 40 percent, according to the poll.

The debate was sponsored by the Bay Ridge Council on Aging.

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