Republicans eager to unseat Mayor Bill de Blasio this year first have to grapple with a possible primary battle of their own. While some in the GOP hoped the party would coalesce around a single candidate, the field is instead decidedly unsettled. NY1's Grace Rauh has the story.
As far as real estate executive Paul Massey is concerned, the race for City Hall is between him and Mayor de Blasio.
"I think I am the competitor for the current mayor now," Massey said. "I think people understand that."
It is true that Massey, a Republican, is proving to be a formidable fundraiser. But his rate of spending and his stilted performance on the stump have meant that party leaders are not fully settled on him.
"I really believe the Republican Party will take me under their wing because I have been a Republican my whole life," mayoral candidate Bo Dietl said. "But yet, I really feel as though I have a sprinkle-itation of Democrat in me."
Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican Assemblywoman from Staten Island, is considering a run for mayor as well.
Massey, meanwhile, visited Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School to meet with students Thursday and discuss his education plan.
Massey says he wants to throw out the cap on charter schools and give parents more school options.
He also responded to an exclusive NY1 report on his poor voting record. We found Massey voted just five times over a 19-year period.
"I don't think voters are terribly focused on my voting record," Massey said. "I think that, I was working, got up early, went to work, came home late."
Massey has also held off on releasing his tax returns. He says he filed for an extension and will make them public by mid-October.
When pressed by NY1, however, he did promise to turn over his older returns more quickly.
"I don't mind doing that, Grace," Massey told me Thursday. "I'm happy to do it now."
After initially resisting, Dietl did release his 2015 tax return. He reported making a little over $1.8 million and paying nearly $545,000 in federal income taxes.