Joe Lhota is about to make a life-changing transfer.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman will resign at the end of the year to likely launch a mayoral bid on the Republican line, thrilling some Republicans who have been hungering for an experienced candidate to rival a progressive Democrat. Lhota, lacking the wealth of Mayor Michael Bloomberg or potential rival John Catsimatidis, will be depending on New York City’s business community to coalesce around his candidacy.
His star may never be brighter than right now: in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Lhota was lauded for guiding a rapid restoration of the City’s massive subway system. Though he had mayoral ambitions before Sandy, the former deputy mayor for operations under Rudy Giuliani found his name bandied about by insiders as the appealing alternative to a host of anti-Bloomberg Democrats.
When Lhota officially enters the mayoral race, he will become an instant frontrunner in the Republican primary, though the Queens Republican Party is still standing firmly behind the billionaire Catsimatidis, who recently created an exploratory committee but has yet to officially declare his candidacy.
“John has been a friend of the Queens Republicans,” said Phil Ragusa, chair of the Queens Republican Party. “I feel obligated to him. He will be our candidate.”
The executive vice chair of the Queens Republican Party, Vince Tabone, is an attorney for Red Apple Group, Catsimatides’ oil, gas and supermarket conglomerate. Lhota is only likely to receive the party’s backing if Catsimatides decides to back away from the race. His vast fortune could complicate Lhota’s plans.
Ragusa emphasized that he has “nothing against Joe Lhota” and described him as a “hard-working person,” though he heaped praise upon Catsimatidis for his private sector success. Not all prominent Queens Republicans will be following Ragusa’s lead, however.
Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich is an ally of former Councilman Tom Ognibene, the Republican who led a failed coup against Ragusa in 2011. Ognibene’s southern faction tried to wrest control of the party from Ragusa, who is based in northern Queens. The nasty rift took on a new public dimension this year when Ulrich, running for the State Senate, faced a Ragusa-backed challenger in the primary, Juan Reyes. Ulrich trounced Reyes before losing to State Sen. Joe Addabbo in the general election.
When a reporter tweeted that Catsimatides said he could do the mayor’s job “with my left pinkie,” Ulrich tweeted back, “give me a break! this guy doesn’t know his a— from his elbow, never mind his pinkie.”
Lhota may become the instant favorite to win a Republican primary against Catsimatidis, Manhattan Media CEO Tom Allon and DOE Fund founder George McDonald, but he has one clear liability: fare hikes. As MTA chairman, Lhota approved across the board fare hikes last week that will bring the base subway and bus fare to $2.50, as well as raising tolls on bridges and tunnels in March. Before Sandy, the MTA was not exactly a bastion of popularity.
Another issue for Lhota, if Catsimatidis enters the race, will be his ability to assemble a campaign team quickly enough to compete, especially if there is a primary in June. Since Catsimatidis, a supermarket and oil magnet, does not need to raise money, he can construct a campaign infrastructure rapidly, said Republican political consultant Gerry O’Brien.
“For me, the interesting thing will be: what kind of campaign can Joe Lhota put together?” he asked. “Lhota’s never really been involved in hardcore politics. He’s been in government politics, but those are two very different things. The segue is not always an easy one.”
While this would be Lhota’s first campaign, the good news for him is that his Republican rivals have never run for office before either. If former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion is granted the Republican line by three out of five Republican county chairmen, Lhota will have to contend with a political veteran, albeit one who was a Democrat until recently (Carrion is currently registered as an independent). State Sen. Malcolm Smith, also a Democrat, has been
looking to run for mayor on the Republican line as well, though it appears the county chairmen are much more willing to back Carrion.
“I know how difficult the job is,” Lhota told the Daily News last week. “I know how challenging the job is and how important the job is to all New Yorkers.”
Will county leadership in Queens follow in Bloomberg tradition by standing in the way of a Joe Lhota, a lesser finacially qualified candidate when measured against the county's speculative choice: businessman John Catsimatidis.
