Mayor de Blasio is taking his rose garden on the road with just a little more than two weeks before he never has to run for re-election again.

It’s not that the mayor doesn’t like campaigning – but he certainly doesn’t act like he likes it, either. The mayor and his political team have largely torpedoed rallies and baby kissing for “non-political” events like town hall meetings and press conferences on issues that even Scrooge would have a hard time fighting.

Free school lunches? Reducing traffic jams? The mayor’s got it covered. If this campaign were to extend into December, we’d likely hear about the city’s expanded “oxygen for all” program.

With his Republican rival, Nicole Malliotakis, treating day-to-day campaigning like an optional activity, the mayor has had whole news cycles to spin to himself. And with those pesky New York Yankees not in the World Series, the mayor may finally be spared those annoying questions about why he won’t wander into the House that George Steinbrenner Built.

There are plenty of issues left to be tackled by de Blasio and Malliotakis as the mayor tries to run out the clock. It’s our job – and yours – to follow them along this rose-strewn campaign trail before we all turn into pumpkins.

Bob Hardt