The last few mayors were fusion party candidates and there is one candidate now called John Catsimatidis who is going this route... I am not a resident of the city however if I was John Catsimatidis would be who I would be supporting... I have heard him speak on radio interviews and he sounds like he would make a good mayor... Politics in the cities mayoral race dictates a big tent approach be taken... Far right wing candidates have no place in that sort of playing field... Catsimatidies sounds like a moderate with common sense that can bring both sides of the table together...
https://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2013/05/john-catsimatidis-has-a-rudy-on-his-side-tooJohn Catsimatidis Has A Rudy On His Side, Too
BY Celeste Katz
Rudy Giuliani may be one of Joe Lhota's biggest backers in the race for mayor, but another GOP contender, John Catsimatidis, has a Rudy on his side too.
rudy washington.jpgRudy Washington, who worked with Lhota when the two were deputy mayors in the Giuliani Administration, is supporting the billionaire hopeful -- and as you can see, escorting him on the rounds of a recent Brooklyn GOP dinner.
Washington, who's now in private real estate development consulting, said he made a commitment to Catsimatidis last fall.
Lhota quit the MTA in December and jumped into the race in January.
Washington praised Catsimatidis as a proven job creator -- a man dedicated to "getting the ecomomy moving and keeping New York City vibrant," as he put it -- and a longtime friend.
But he made no bones about the fact that he quite possibly could have endorsed his former colleague if "Joe was making noise in August or September" about getting into the contest.
Lhota "is a good friend of mine. He's quite capable," Washington said. "If Joe wins the primary, I'm going to support him 100%."
Washington said he is not a campaign staffer, nor does he plan to seek a paid job with Team Catsimatidis.
"Rudy Washington knows firsthand what it takes to run New York City," Catsimatidis told the Daily News. "I am thankful for his friendship, support and counsel in my campaign for mayor."
The fundraising challenges that absorb most candidates obviously don't apply to Catsimatidis, who's using the wealth he earned in the supermarket, real estate and energy industries to self-finance his bid.
"John has a lot going for him. Now he has to build a street operation," Washington said of his pick, who has not seen much traction in public polls that universally show Lhota as the GOP frontrunner. "He's going to have to get some noise out there so people know he's running."
As for the other side of the aisle, Washington said, "I believe the Democratic field is going to be 100% locked up with the union argument and things that are detrimental to the budget. [That's] one of the reasons why the present mayor is not negotiating contracts."