NEW YORK—A supporter for Republican Joe Lhota was blaring factually questionable anti-Bill de Blasio messages at Lhota’s campaign stop in Harlem on Monday. The message, not sanctioned by the Lhota campaign, claimed Democratic rival de Blasio did not believe in God and questioned how he paid for childcare as a Council Member.
“Bill de Blasio says he does not believe in churches and he doesn’t believe in God either,” said the message, which blared from a van parked at 125th St. and Lenox Ave.
The woman’s voice in the looped message also claimed de Blasio did not pay for babysitting while serving as a City Council member, saving $20,000 per year by having staff take care of his kids.
“His staff provided their nanny service when he was the City Councilman from Park Slope,” the message claimed.
The audio and the van was provided by Dany Esquilin, the Charman of the New York State Puerto Rican Party. The group endorsed Lhota several weeks ago, claiming de Blasio’s stop-and-frisk policies would turn the city back to the crime-ridden days of the ‘70s and ’80s.
Esquilin, who was at the event handing out pro-Lhota flyers, said they had five vans and would be spreading the message in 30 neighborhoods in every borough except Staten Island. He said he did not coordinate with the Lhota campaign about the message, but told the campaign he would be supporting Lhota during the election.
Lhota was asked about the remarks, saying he had no idea who it was or what the message was.
“If I find out who is doing it and making statements like that, they will stop saying it,” Lhota said. ”Those are outrageous statements and whoever is doing it, I am going to ask them to stop.”
Lhota, who was greeting voters at the campaign stop, did not attempt to go to the van, which stopped playing the messages as soon as Lhota arrived.
According to Campaign Finance Board records, Esquilin was paid $16,875 as a campaign field worker on Oct.7.
The de Blasio campaign did not return an immediate request for comment for this article.
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