By William Lewis
Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently received the endorsement of the Queens Republican Executive Committee. With the prior endorsements of the Republican Brooklyn, Staten Island and Bronx organizations, the mayor is on his way to becoming the official Republican Party mayoral candidate.
He already has the designation of the Independence Party. It is believed he will obtain his own independent line in addition to the two established parties, thereby giving him three lines to run on.
He will probably be facing city Comptroller Bill Thompson on the Democratic line; the Conservative Party will field its own candidate. What a difference a few weeks make. It was not too long ago that there was a possibility that Bloomberg might not get the Republican and Independence endorsements. If that situation had developed, he would have had only his own independent line, which in terms of ballot position would have weakened his candidacy.
In addition, during the last several weeks, former Republican City Council Minority Leader Tom Ognibene had expressed an interest in running for mayor as the Republican candidate. For a short period of time, it looked like he might have had a chance of getting the support of three out of five county organizations, considering he was well−received when he spoke before the Republican executive committees in Queens and the Bronx.
But it was not to be. Ognibene is now expected to run for his former Council seat, now held by Elizabeth Crowley (D−Middle Village). He ran for that seat in a special election last year, losing to Anthony Como, who in turn lost the seat in another special election last year to Crowley. If Ognibene runs this time, he will only have Crowley as his opponent. He held the seat for 10 years, from 1991−2001, during which time he was elected three times. As in a significant number of these races in Queens, the Conservative and Independence endorsements will play a major role in which candidates win these offices.
Bloomberg, in his recent TV commercials, indicated that his candidacy represents independent, non−partisan leadership. That being the case, it is interesting to note he has made every effort to gain partisan support in his quest for a third term. It is no secret Bloomberg is not a supporter of the political party system and would prefer non−partisan elections — especially at the city level.
But what will be his attitude toward the Republican and Independence parties during and after the mayoral campaign? Will he support candidates for public office from these two political parties that are now supporting him? Will he appoint qualified individuals from the Republican and Independence parties to city government positions within his administration?
There does not seem to be much enthusiasm among the rank−and−file members of the Queens Republican Party for the Bloomberg candidacy. In the party clubs, there will be those who will refuse to carry petitions for Bloomberg, although getting enough signatures to get on the ballot should not be a problem for the mayor.
If Bloomberg wins re−election this year, especially with a decisive margin, it will give him a role in next year’s gubernatorial race. If former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the Republican candidate for governor next year, will the mayor support him or the Democratic candidate?
Although it is too early to speculate, it will be interesting to see what Bloomberg’s position will be regarding the 2012 presidential election. Regardless of his role in supporting candidates, Bloomberg intends to be a major player in American politics at the local, state and national levels.
