De Blasio, Lhota Meet for Final NYC Mayoral Debate Tributes to the one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy dominated the start of the third and final debate between New York City mayoral hopefuls Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota. Both de Blasio and his Republican counterpart largely support outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed $20 billion storm resiliency plan. But there were few other areas of agreement. The men frequently clashed, sternly disagreeing over the future of charter schools and public safety. Lhota says the city will suffer "an increase in crime" if de Blasio wins. The Democrat countered by saying Lhota's policing policies are "divisive." The debate may have been Lhota's last best chance to close the gap on de Blasio, who has led recent polls by nearly 40 points. The general election is Tuesday.