If last week’s combative affair was any indication, the moderators for the final general election debate involving Zohran Mamdani, Andrew M. Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa on Wednesday will again have to fight to keep the candidates on topic.
Three journalists — from Spectrum News NY1, WNYC and The City, an online news outlet — will moderate Wednesday’s debate, less than two weeks before the Nov. 4 mayoral election.
The moderators are Errol Louis of Spectrum News NY1, Brian Lehrer of WNYC and Katie Honan of The City. Here’s what to know about them:
Errol Louis
Mr. Louis, the political anchor for Spectrum News NY1, hosts “Inside City Hall,” a prime-time show on New York politics. He has moderated more than two dozen debates during races for New York City mayor and comptroller and New York state attorney general. He was also a panelist in a 2016 Democratic presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Before joining Spectrum News NY1, Mr. Louis, who was born in Harlem and lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, wrote for The Daily News’s editorial board.
Brian Lehrer
Mr. Lehrer, the host of WNYC Radio’s “The Brian Lehrer Show,” has been covering local and national politics for more than three decades.
He has covered some of the biggest stories in New Yorkers’ lifetimes, from the Sept. 11 attacks to the 2008 financial crisis, Superstorm Sandy to the pandemic. He has interviewed authors, journalists and politicians, including former President Barack Obama, the former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina.
A Bayside, Queens, native, Mr. Lehrer has been a questioner in debates for every New York City mayoral race since 1997, according to WNYC.
Katie Honan
Ms. Honan has covered local stories for The City since 2021, writing about topics as varied as politics, animal deaths and city beaches and pools. Before joining The City, she covered City Hall and the state’s response to the pandemic for The Wall Street Journal and neighborhoods in Queens for DNAinfo New York.
Ms. Honan, who also co-hosts The City’s podcast, “FAQ NYC,” grew up in Rockaway Park, Queens, and has lived in Woodside, Queens, for more than a decade.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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