Ray Kelly ‘Still Contemplating’ Run For Mayor

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ray-kellyRay Kelly has given his first public indication that he might indeed be interested in running for mayor.

The police commissioner was approached by a reporter at a party last week in Washington and asked point blank if he was open to the idea of trying to succeed Mayor Bloomberg.

“I’m still contemplating that,” Kelly responded, according to New York magazine.

He had a few other things to say first, which raised the question whether he was really signaling he might make his first run for office.

When the magazine reporter caught up with Kelly at the New Yorker cocktail party last Friday night before that weekend’s annual White House Correspondents Dinner, he was in a light mood.

“I’m the police commissioner. I’m running for police commissioner,” he joshed. “I want to hold onto my job. I don’t know – I might be out the door.”

Paul Browne, Kelly’s longtime spokesman, said “Commissioner Kelly has joked about ‘running for police commissioner.’

“Beyond that he’s said only that he’s focused exclusively on his current post with no plans to run for any elective office.”

Asked about the “contemplating” remark, Browne said Kelly didn’t recall it.

Business officials and Republican Party leaders are publicly pushing a Kelly candidacy.

Corporate executives view him as the most pro-business in the field of possible contenders, who include top Democrats who are all eagerly courting the city’s powerful unions. Republican officials view him as their only hope of keeping City Hall in what passes for GOP hands.

And at least one person who is close to the commissioner is privately promoting such talk.

“There’s not much downside,” said one veteran political consultant. “He’s a lame duck and now he’s a player again. Everyone’s talking about it.”

The most obvious downside is that the moment Kelly publicly suggests he’s entering the race, his tenure at 1 Police Plaza is over.

Before last week, Kelly’s constant public refrain was that he has no plans to run. Privately, he’s told potential supporters he’s not interested.

But the interest in Kelly shows no sign of abating.

A new poll coming out shortly will include Kelly again. His name was removed from most polls after speculation died down several weeks ago.

{NY Post/Matzav.com Newscenter}


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