The city's Columbus Day Parade celebrated Italian-American history and acted as the unofficial kickoff to the final sprint of the mayoral campaign. Marching bands, groups of police officers from Italy and floats featuring opera singers and men dressed in period costumes as Machiavelli greeted and entertained the crowd.

Democrat Bill de Blasio and Republican Joe Lhota waved to cheering supporters lining the parade route along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. The two never crossed paths but will square off Tuesday night for their first mayoral debate before the Nov. 5 general election. De Blasio, the city's public advocate, has nearly a 50 percentage point lead in recent polls, and some of Monday's visuals reinforced his status as the front-runner in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 6-1 ratio.

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Source: http://www.leaderherald.com/