Liu, Avella debate turns contentious over I.D.C.
Josefa Velasquez
ALBANY—State Senator Tony Avella and his Democratic primary opponent, John Liu, engaged in a contentious back-and-forth during a televised debate Wednesday night over Avella's defection to the Independent Democratic Conference.
As part of the debate format, moderator Errol Louis, host of NY1's "Inside City Hall," allowed each candidate to ask the other a question. Liu, a former New York City comptroller, used his question to attack Avella for defecting to the I.D.C., whose five members have a power-sharing arrangement with the Republicans.
"Tony, I like many Democrats in the area were disappointed, in fact hurt, when you left the Senate Democrats and sided with the Republicans. … How do you explain that and can you tell us when you're going to register as a Republican?" Liu asked Avella.
"I joined the Independent Democratic Conference because the Democratic conference was dysfunctional," said Avella, who represents the 11th District in Queens. "You couldn't get anything accomplished. They just sat in a room and argued among themselves. That's not why I was elected by the people of my district."
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/08/8551535/liu-avella-debate-turns-contentious-over-idc
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