Candidates News

February 7, 2021

Sliwa: Fernando Mateo Should Come Clean & Apologize to GOP for Pay-to-Play Politics With de Blasio Instead of Making Lame Excuses

Mateo’s Niece Promotion With NYPD Proves Quid Pro Quo for His Illegal Straw Donations to Mayor’s Re-Election Campaign

(New York, NY) Curtis Sliwa, a candidate for the Republican Party nomination for Mayor, said today that Fernando Mateo, also a GOP candidate, should stop his lame excuses for his $18,800 in illegal straw donations to Bill de Blasio’s re-election campaign and just apologize.

Mateo has publicly stated that he was “tricked” by the Mayor and was the “victim” in the pay to play schemes. However, published reports about the promotion of Mateo’s niece with the NYPD and his admitting his goal with the illegal contributions was to land a city job for a friend (Ahlam Jaoui) proves he knew exactly what he was doing. Mateo even boldly stated “That’s the way politics works.”

According to the report, Mateo’s niece, Det. Nancy Sola, who was a member of de Blasio’s NYPD police detail, had been promoted to second grade detective even after she had been “caught driving the Mayor through stop signs just days after he announced his ‘Vision Zero’ plan to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.” The promotion was “despite the potentially career-derailing speed bump she hit in February 2014 when she blew through stop signs and was speeding with the mayor beside her in the passenger seat.”

The DNA Info expose’ reported that, “As it turned out, Sola is also the niece of politically influential taxi driver advocate Fernando Mateo” and that “Mateo started pressing his NYPD brass contacts to promote his niece as far back as a year and a half ago” according to sources at the time and that she didn’t have the seniority for promotion in the detail.

This revelation is on top of Mateo admitting that he funneled $18,800 in illegal “straw donations” to the Mayor’s re-election campaign in 2016 to land a city job for Jaoui, saying “That’s the way politics works.” In addition, Mateo’s wife was seeking the city’s permission for a women-only livery service.

Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels 40 years ago, said “Mateo should just apologize and admit he got caught up in the pay to play schemes that have been a hallmark of the de Blasio administration. Republicans will have a tough enough time winning back City Hall; we don’t need a candidate that not only made illegal political contributions, but did it on behalf of the worst Mayor in NYC history. This guy is not a credible candidate for Republicans to get behind and he will be a ticking time bomb for our Party.”

The primary election for both Republicans and Democrats will be held on Tuesday, June 22.

To read relevant published reports, click below:

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160711/civic-center/detective-who-drove-mayor-through-stop-signs-is-promoted-despite-gaffe

https://nypost.com/2016/06/28/de-blasio-fundraiser-admits-to-pay-for-play-bundling-scheme/

Guardian Angels

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The Curtis Sliwa Show / M-F 12-3pm. Listen at www.wabcradio.com

This past Monday former Governor George Pataki came to the studios of WABC and appeared on my show.  He was angry that the group (NY United 4 Change) was attempting to poach Republicans by having them register as Democrats so that moderate Dems could fend off the takeover of their Party by the Socialist Dems.  The Establishment Democrats wanted Republicans to know that a Republican could not win as Mayor.  Pataki was there to refute that claim.  He reminded the audience that when he announced for Governor in 1994 almost no one knew him and almost everyone said that he couldn’t beat MARIO CUOMO.  Dems had nominated Cuomo for political sainthood.  Pataki said the consensus was that he couldn’t win the Republican primary, never mind beat the man who could have been President. 

I began to reminisce how on the night that I was fired at WABC from the morning show in 1994 I went to the Yale Club to fulfill a promise that I had made to introduce Republican Gubernatorial candidate George Pataki.  There were 8 people in attendance – 4 of Pataki’s family members, 2 of his classroom chums and 2 strangers.  The 2 strangers told George he had no chance to beat Cuomo.  Six months later outside of Ben’s Kosher Deli on Queens Blvd. Bob Grant, the King of Talk Radio, and comedian Jackie Mason spoke at a rally for Pataki.  Half the crowd made it known they didn’t think George could beat Mario.

Two weeks before Election Day the polls had Cuomo up by 10 points.  In 1994 47% of voters were Democrats and only 31% were Republicans.  Cuomo won NYC but Pataki almost the rest of the state.  Final tally had Pataki with 47% of the vote and Mario Cuomo with only 44%.   He went on to serve 3 terms as NYS Governor and stood side by side with Rudy in the aftermath of the attack of 9/11.  Being a hopeless underdog was no deterrent.  He believed from the beginning that he could win the race.   

Pataki urged all Republicans not to jump ship, to fight for the principles of the Party and to push forward as he had to VICTORY.

I was inspired and I hope you will be too,

 Republican Mayoral Candidate 2021