No rambling, rebuttals, or soap-box speeches here. At the first official mayoral debate of the Democratic primary Wednesday night, moderators David Ushery, Melissa Russo, Sally Goldenberg, and Rosarina Bretón posed a few questions to the candidates that defied their ability to hedge or reframe. Here are the nine candidates’ answers to a few of the most revealing of those simple questions.

Question: How much do you pay in rent?

Context: Housing affordability is one of the main issues on the ballot as the city continues to face a housing crisis. In 2023 the overall rental vacancy rate hit a historic low of 1.4% and the affordable housing vacancy rate fell below 1% . According to the New York City Comptroller’s office, median asking rent rose to a record high of $3,500 per month cityw

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