Ms. Velázquez and Mr. Dilan took part in a forum on NY1’s “Inside City Hall,” along with the two other candidates in the June 26 Democratic primary for New York’s redrawn Seventh Congressional District, which includes parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Dan O’Connor, an economist who is making his first bid for public office, criticized Ms. Velázquez for voting for the bank bailout and against auditing the Federal Reserve, noting that much of her campaign war chest came from the banking industry. “At the end of the day, whoever writes the checks in Washington writes the policies,” said Mr. O’Connor, who called the role of money in politics a more pressing issue than the economy. Ms. Velázquez responded that a watchdog group had said she was among the members of Congress least influenced by money. The fourth candidate, George Martinez, a hip-hop artist and Occupy Wall Street activist, called his rivals “model politicians of a broken system.” He said Ms. Velázquez had been timid about pushing for progressive policies and asked Mr. Dilan about donations he has received from real estate developers. “I’ve always voted the conscience of my district,” Mr. Dilan responded. Ms. Velázquez said she had secured federal money for public housing and small-business loans. Ms. Velázquez was asked by the moderator to describe an instance in which she “broke with a political establishment.” Ms. Velázquez, who was endorsed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Friday, replied: “I’ve been independent, I’ve been progressive, and basically, I have no relationship with the party boss from Brooklyn.” Mr. Dilan has denied Ms. Velázquez’s accusations that he is challenging her at the behest of Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, the head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. Mr. Dilan accused Ms. Velázquez of being virtually “appointed” by party bosses when she was first elected 20 years ago.
