Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

Billy Thompson Leaves the House Empty-Handed | Poor Bill Thompson. As much as he'd like to hear President Obama publicly endorse his candidacy for mayor, he just can't seem to get him to utter the words. At last night's Democratic National Committee event at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Obama did make mention of Thompson. ("Our candidate for mayor, my friend Billy Thompson, is in the house.") But it clearly wasn't what Thompson had been hoping for. When asked if he considered the Obama shout-out to be an endorsement—he did say "our candidate," after all!—Thompson put it bluntly: "No. Do you consider that an endorsement?" [Politico, NYT, NYDN]

Bill Thompson, Stealth Candidate | As if Bill Thompson doesn't have enough to worry about as it is as he faces off against Mike Bloomberg, it seems that some New Yorkers have yet to figure out that the low-profile candidate happens to be black: "Ask Malcolm Woods, an African-American barista at the Common Grounds coffee shop in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, if he is inspired that there is a black candidate for mayor, and you get a surprised look. 'There is?' he asked." [NYT]

Rudy Does the Dirtiest Work | Were you, like us, a little perplexed last week when Mayor Bloomberg indicated that he planned to campaign this weekend with Rudy Giuliani by his side? One thing we didn't take into account (but which explains everything): If you'd like to engage in a little vintage NYC fear-mongering and race-baiting in the last few weeks of a campaign, there's really no better person out there to guide you. [NYT, previously]

The Mike and Rudy Show | At the debate earlier this week between Michael Bloomberg and Bill Thompson, the mayor said he thought Rudy Giuliani would make a good governor. The remark generated boos from the crowd (and rightly so), but it looks like the mayor wasn't paying much attention. More

Did you watch the debate between Mike Bloomberg and Bill Thompson last night? Or did you conclude it would be a big waste of time since the election was predetermined before the campaigning even began and you figured that if you did tune in and you happened to find yourself enamored with Thompson, it would only lead to heartbreak next month when he's clobbered at the polls?  More

You know that Mike Bloomberg is running for a third term next month, of course. And you may even be familiar with the Democrat running against him, Bill Thompson. (If you haven't had a chance to familiarize yourself with Thompson's platform, you can watch him go up against Bloomberg in a debate this evening.)  But are you familiar with the seven other people who will be on the ballot this November? More

President Obama endorsed Bill Thompson in the race for mayor today. But he managed to do so without uttering the words himself (Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs delivered the news) and without referring to Thompson by name (Gibbs described as the "Democratic nominee").  And then he followed up by complimenting Mayor Bloomberg, just to hedge a bit more: More

Burn, Baby, Burn | Michael Bloomberg's reelection campaign is costing him $15,000 per hour, in case you were wondering. Of course, that's just a drop in the bucket for the richest man in New York. At that rate, he could afford to go on campaigning for the next 133.1 years. [AP]

The Three Ballots Have Been Counted | Only about three people turned up to vote yesterday, but New Yorkers did pick Democratic nominees for public advocate and comptroller (both of whom are virtually guaranteed to win the general election come November): Bill de Blasio won the race for public advocate; and John Liu is the nominee for comptroller. [NYT]

The Polls Are Open | Today is the Democratic primary runoff for comptroller and public advocate. As expected, the turnout has been incredibly light. (So light, in fact, that some poll workers have been nodding off on the job, reports the Times.) If you'd like to do your civic duty today—or just startle a napping poll worker—you have until 9PM to do so and you can find your local polling station here. [NYT]

There's an Election Taking Place Tomorrow | Did you know that the run-off elections for comptroller and public advocate take place in NYC tomorrow? Probably not, since turnout at the polls is expected to be so low that pollsters are having a hard time coming up with accurate predictions about who's going to win when John Liu faces off against David Yassky to be NYC's next comptroller and Bill de Blasio goes up against Mark Green in the battle to be public advocate. But that means if you do plan to vote, you might actually make a difference! Just something to keep in mind! [Crain's, NY1]

Thompson's Unlikely Prospects Now Even More Unlikely | Bill Thompson won the Democratic primary for mayor by a substantial margin last week and he started airing his first TV commercial. So he's probably made a dent in Mayor Bloomberg's lead, hasn't he? Not so much, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning:More

Scary Rudy Rumor Quashed | Is Rudy Giuliani planning to run for president again in 2012? And is that why President Obama encouraged Gov. Paterson to abandon his gubernatorial bid? (The theory being that if Giuliani becomes New York's governor next year, he'd be better positioned to compete in a presidential election in 2012, and that by pushing Paterson aside, the chances of Rudy taking Albany are greatly diminished.) That's "insanity" and "very silly," and it ain't gonna happen, says Steve Kornacki. [PolitickerNY]

An Awkward Encounter in Albany | News emerged over the weekend that President Obama has been urging Gov. David Paterson to seriously consider bowing out of the race for governor, since the president and his advisers don't think he has a chance of winning next fall, especially if he goes up against Rudy Giuliani. Paterson rejected the suggestion yesterday, and indicated he plans to move ahead with his campaign. This morning the two men came face to face when the president touched down in Albany to deliver an economic address at a nearby college. So how did that go? It was a little bit awkward, not surprisingly: More

Matt Supports Mike | Mayor Bloomberg's latest campaign video features an endorsement by Matt Damon. Really. [YouTube via NYM]