Queens Borough President Melinda Katz on Sunday attacked the lack of experience of other competitors in the borough’s District Attorney race — seemingly a pointed dig at her key rival, AOC-backed Tiffany Cabán.
“How does one run such a huge office and huge organization if they’ve never run anything in the past?” Katz asked on John Catsimatidis’ radio show, The Cats Roundtable, on AM 970.
While she did not name Cabán directly, Katz’s comments seemed a pointed dig at the democratic socialist who became a frontrunner for Tuesday’s election thanks largely to the endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
Katz insisted that her role leading an office of 65 with a $5.3 million budget made her the only candidate prepared for the crucial position.
“You need to keep the borough safe while still instituting, I think, crucial criminal reform issues, and that’s an important job to do,” she said.
“We have shown that true leadership is what makes it really happen,” she said, saying it was a “matter of trust and faith in the individual running that office.”
While Cabán has Ocasio Cortez’s backing, Katz was proud to remind listeners that she was endorsed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“He’s a Queens kid and he’s proud of that and so he has a lot at stake,” she said.
“I think one of the reasons he’s supporting me is he’s seen how my office works. I don’t say why you can’t do something — I look at people and I say, ‘This is what needs to be done. How do we make it happen?’
“Stop telling me the problems in the way — start telling me what the solutions are.”
Cabán has been attacked for her policies vowing to decriminalize prostitution — even giving a free pass to cathouse owners and customers.
Katz, meanwhile, stressed she would fight to make sure illegal immigrants in the borough would not have to fear deportation if they reported abuse.
“We just want to keep people safe,” she told Catsimatidis.
“You can have justice for defendants. But you can also have justice for victims. I’m actually one of the few folks that believes you can have both. One does not preclude the other.”