The Easy Answer

Much has been made of Council Speaker and Mayoral hopeful Gifford Miller’s surly refusal to answer — yes or no — whether he would send his kids to public school. The Times notes that it’s a prickly topic for many upper-income (read: “rich”) New York families:

It is a question that many upper-income parents in New York City wrestle with, and one that can make a politician with young children wince: Will your children be going to public or private school?

On Tuesday night, the issue arose in the mayoral race, with Gifford Miller, the City Council speaker, publicly agonizing over how to answer the question in a yes or no fashion during a debate with three Democratic Party primary rivals. He chose not to answer it, saying he had not decided, and, amid boos from the audience, looked helplessly toward his wife – asking “Pam? Pam?” – when asked to explain where his children would be sent.

Of course, if the prospect of using your children to score cheap political points seems sleazy, you could always find a different way to answer the question. Just fib (read: “lie”) a little:

Another candidate for mayor, Fernando Ferrer, gave a less-than-complete answer about his own daughter’s education during Tuesday’s debate. He said his daughter, Carlina, who is now grown with her own children, graduated from public school. In fact, she attended public schools but graduated from a Catholic high school.