The biggest news this week on the mayoral campaign trail has been the mayor’s decision not to appear at the first official Campaign Finance Board debate at the Apollo Theater in Harlem tonight. The cable news channel NY1 News, which is hosting the debate and airing it live, is reportedly at war with the Bloomberg re-election campaign over its decision to participate in two other debates closer to Election Day and has been airing advertisements noting Mr. Bloomberg’s planned absence.

But an alert from NY1’s public relations director, Edward Pachetti, made no mention of the mayor’s plans or the fact that the debate will now, apparently, be an exchange between the Democratic nominee, Fernando Ferrer, and the Conservative Party nominee, Thomas Ognibene, who has captured just 1% of the electorate, according to recent poll results. The e-mail message simply provides the location and time, and reminds reporters to bring their press passes. The mayor yesterday insisted that he has no intention of attending the debate and made a not-so-subtle dig at the cable news channel.

In response to a reporter’s question he said, “This debate is a debate that has only one thing going for it as far as I can tell – and that’s its location.” When asked if he’d watch the debate, which is being aired live from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., he said, “I don’t think so,” before marching out of the Blue Room at City Hall.

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The Democratic nominee for mayor, Fernando Ferrer, stumped in Harlem yesterday, appearing in front of a deteriorating apartment building to announce his support for a City Council bill cracking down on “deadbeat landlords.” The building at Broadway and 149th Street had more than 300 housing code violations, and a walk through its apartments revealed large ceiling holes violations remain unfixed. Standing with tenants of the building, Mr. Ferrer pushed his plan to add “affordable housing,” which he said would also hit negligent landlords with steeper fines and legal fees, and mandate closer scrutiny of buildings with serious violations.

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Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign staffers, even the non-Jewish ones, are full of New Year cheer this week. The mayor’s senior campaign adviser, William Cunningham, was quoted yesterday as raising the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashana as a reason why Mr. Bloomberg decided not to debate Fernando Ferrer this week. On Monday, the mayor’s campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey, sent an e-mail to supporters detailing his crime-fighting record and his plans for keeping New Yorkers safe and secure in his second term. The message ended with a bit of Hebrew transliteration: “Have a wonderful week, and shana tova.” Shana tova means “good year” in Hebrew. Mr. Bloomberg, who is Jewish, did not campaign or work on Tuesday, the first day of Rosh Hashana. and leaks, cracked paint, and dried urine in a stairwell. Mr. Ferrer called for the passage of the Healthy Homes Act, which would raise fines on landlords who let hazardous