Curtis Sliwa arrives to vote, carrying one of his cats, Gizmo. 
How are you feeling? “Physically, not good. I’m in a lot of pain,” @CurtisSliwa says, after he was hit by a cab on Friday. But says that pales in comparison to the pain of city workers (who declined to get vaccinated) and are out of a job.
“I know people have laughed at me… but as Gandhi said - go ahead, laugh at Gandhi - a society that doesn’t treat its animals well won’t treat its people well… we’re going to rescue the emotionally disturbed and the homeless AND the cats and dogs who get slaughtered.” - Sliwa
Sliwa says his campaign is “about the emotional disturbed and the homeless and *especially* the animals.”
“I got to get used to this!” Sliwa says. “Becoming the mayor, saving the city, is more important than wearing this red beret.”
“Sir, you can’t bring the cat inside… there’s signs all over the place. No cats in the building.”
Curtis handed Gizmo to a staffer while he and his wife Nancy, who is running for council against Gale Brewer, go inside.
He’s now doing a second gaggle inside because a BOE worker asked them to take off the Curtis Sliwa-branded gear inside the pollsite. He is #resisting.
Curtis is defiant because he was allowed to come in earlier this week with a cat and branded swag and nobody stopped him. But his jacket seems like it’s electioneering inside the pollsite.
Sliwa has apparently won the standoff. He gets his ballot while wearing his branded gear.
Local man votes.
Sliwa’s ballot got jammed. An election worker is trying the time honored technique of hitting the machine hard on the back.
Curtis has now been inside the poll site for 35 minutes, but Gizmo is doing OK.
Curtis still here. Ballot still jammed. I’m leaving. Thank you for following along.
Wait I’m back! @BOENYC officials, including @jennylamlow have arrived.
“You’re denying me my right to vote and now you’re threatening me with arrest!” Sliwa says. Neither of these things are true. Sliwa’s ballot was counted, and he’s not getting arrested.
“You’re denying me my right to vote and now you’re threatening me with arrest!” Sliwa says. Neither of these things are true. Sliwa’s ballot was counted, and he’s not getting arrested.
There’s like a hundred people in here. Everyone is masked up, including Curtis - except for these two cops.
They have now gone as far as to open up the container with ballots, under the watchful eye of one Republican board member (Umane) and one Democratic board member (Low).
The ballot is two pages. His first page was counted, but jammed the machine. He now was able to cast his *second* page in the same machine (which only included uncontested judicial races).
“You were shunned. You were exiled. You were told you were persona non grata,” @CurtisSliwa tells Gizmo, upon their reunion.
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