Oh boy, let me tell you about this little project I got myself into – diving into the NYC candidates from way back in November 1999. It felt like stepping into a time machine, seriously.
Started with the basics
First, I hit up the NYC Board of Elections website. I figured that’s the best place to start, right? I found a section for the 1999 general election – jackpot! But let’s be honest, it wasn’t much. But, that is a start, I guess.
Then, some broader searching
So, I broadened my search. I stumbled upon some articles talking about how most folks were ignoring the 1999 elections because there weren’t many big races going on. I also read something about this guy, Diallo, talking about police actions and racial disparity. That was kind of a downer, but it is a part of the history, I think.
Digging into the details
I kept digging, and I found out about this weird thing in New York where candidates could get votes from different parties. It’s called “fusion” or something. Apparently, it let Republicans and Democrats run their own reform candidates on third-party tickets. And found some tags like “New York City mayoral elections” and “Independence.”
The big name: Giuliani
Of course, I came across a lot about Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. It seems like he pretty much crushed it in that election. Everyone was talking about him, I guess it’s a big deal, this guy must be quite famous back then.
A bit of fun
And you won’t believe this, I even found something about “Wheel of Fortune.” They apparently taped some shows at Madison Square Garden in NYC during that time. There was a puzzle about “SHOW BIZ,”. Not related, but still fun.
Getting more organized
Then I tried to get a bit more organized and looked for stuff like voter guides with council district maps and statements from candidates. It was a bit of a mess, but I managed to piece together some info.
Bloomberg popped up
Oh, and I also read about this Bloomberg guy who won an election with a ton of votes, over 700,000. But it said he lost in three out of the five boroughs. So, guess it was not a complete win?
Wrapping up
So, that’s pretty much my adventure with the 1999 NYC candidates. It was a wild ride, jumping from one thing to another. I learned a bunch, got a bit frustrated at times, but in the end, I feel like I got a decent picture of what was going on back then. It’s not just about the candidates, but also about the city and the people. Pretty cool, right?
