The controversial anti-cop “How Many Stops Act” approved by the City Council — overriding Mayor Eric Adams’ veto — has become a lightning rod issue in the hotly-contested special election to replace expelled Long Island ex-Rep George Santos.
Republican Mazi Pilip’s campaign slammed the progressive council’s measure as dangerous and insisted it’s another reason she should be elected over Democrat Tom Suozzi in the Feb. 13 special election for the 3rd District covering Nassau County and eastern Queens.
“This veto override further proves that extreme politicians like Tom Suozzi are united to do everything they can to make the jobs of the police harder,” Pilip campaign communications director Brian Devine said.
“We saw Tom Suozzi’s contempt for police when he voted against condemning the ‘defund the police’ movement and for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act during his tenure in Congress,” he continued.
“Sending him back to Washington will only do further harm to public safety and exacerbate the surge in crime our state is facing.”
The “How Many Stops” bill requires NYPD officers to report on even minor interactions with the public.
Critics, including Adams, have argued that it would bury cops in paperwork and threaten public safety.
“Mazi stands with our brave law enforcement, and that is why she is the only candidate in this race that has been endorsed by police unions, of which seven (including the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association) have given her strong endorsements. A vote for Mazi is a vote for safer streets,” Devine said.
The controversial bill is a local law that has nothing to do with Congress, but still, even Democrats have conceded that it could be a potent issue in the 3rd District, which is solidly pro-cop — especially after crime and public safety were both major voter concerns in New York’s gubernatorial election in 2022 and the Big Apple’s mayoral election in 2021.
“Political observation, yesterday’s @NYCCouncil vote will definitely help GOP in swing districts. It may cause immediate damage to @Tom_Suozzi,” former Brooklyn Democratic Councilman and mayoral candidate Sal Albanese wrote on X Wednesday.
Albanese said Suozzi is a “good man” with a pro-public safety record, but that it might not be enough.
“What the City Council did is definitely a gift for Republicans,” the pol told The Post.
“Even if you’re a moderate Democrat, the Republicans will use it against you.”
Suozzi, however, insisted he also opposes the anti-cop law and took aim at Pilip’s track record.
“I am 100% pro-law enforcement and I completely disagree with the City Council override of the Mayor’s veto,” the Democrat, who is an ally of Mayor Adams, said.
“Instead of launching baseless and irresponsible attacks at me, Mazi Pilip should explain why she didn’t support hiring 80 additional cops in Nassau County,” he added, referring to a defeated amendment offered up by Democrats.
The Suozzi camp also boasted that Nassau County had record-low crime when he served as its chief executive and that he honored police officers from Nassau, Queens and his hometown of Glen Gove during the George Floyd protests.
During his bid for governor in 2022, Suozzi ran as a law-and-order candidate, calling for a stricter bail law and ripping Gov. Kathy Hochul for not doing enough to protect New Yorkers.
Nassau County Democratic leader Jay Jacobs slammed the GOP for trying to smear Suozzi.
“Tom is pro-law enforcement and this issue has nothing to do with Congress,” Jacobs said.
“It distracts from the real issues Congress has to deal with. This is what the Republicans do all the time,” he added.