According to a source in the New York Republican Party via Page Six, the city’s five county chairmen favor Greek American billionaire John Catsimatidis to run for mayor of New York if incumbent Mayor Eric Adams resigns over allegations of bribery from Turkish and other foreign donors, and a new election ensues.
Eric Adams, however, has declared his innocence and stated that he does not intend to resign.
From humble beginnings to billionaire: The life and career of John Catsimatidis
Catsimatidis — who is the 702nd-wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $4.1 billion, per Forbes — was born on the Greek island of Nisyros on September 7, 1948. He came to the United States with his parents when he was six months old. The family moved to West Harlem, where Catsimatidis grew up.
Catsimatidis’ father had been a lighthouse operator in Greece but worked as a busboy in New York.
He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1966. He received a congressional nomination to West Point, but chose to study electrical engineering at New York University instead.
In the past he had expressed interest in investing in Greece, including buying the Hilton hotel, located in central Athens, offering the amount of 93 million euros.
As he notes on his personal site, he has now lived the American dream. He is a firm believer in giving back to the community and has been a strong supporter of the Police Athletic League for nearly 30 years.
He serves on the Board of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund, and over the years served in a variety of volunteer positions in the Greek Orthodox Church.
Catsimatidis as a potential Republican candidate amid mayor Adams’ legal troubles
The current mayor, Eric Adams, is considered to be on the verge of departure. A report by the Washington Times claims that the name of Mr. Catsimatidis is being mentioned more frequently within the party in New York for this special political situation.
It is worth recalling that John Catsimatidis previously sought the mayoral office in 2013, when he ran in the Republican primary against the then-prominent figure of the MTA, Joe Lhota.
However, Lhota’s strong internal party backing left Catsimatidis with little room to secure the nomination, although Lhota went on to lose badly in the November general election to the eventual mayor, Bill de Blasio. In hindsight, many Republican Party members now believe that Catsimatidis might have had better chances.
In any case, according to the “Washington Times,” the Republicans consider John Catsimatidis the most suitable candidate.
That is in case a special election takes place to fill the remainder of Adams’ term. The report emphasizes that party leadership across all five New York boroughs is in agreement on this.
Unique election dynamics: ranked-choice voting and the role of the public advocate
If the elections eventually take place, we expect them to have some unique characteristics.
For instance, candidates may not be able to use the Republican or Democratic Party labels as official endorsements. Instead they will list fictitious political titles. Additionally, the elections will likely use a ranked-choice voting system. This could result in surprises and necessitate a more strategic approach.
However, within Republican Party ranks, we note that they may prefer Mayor Adams not to resign, despite the criticism he faced in recent years.
The temporary successor would be the city’s Public Advocate. This position currently held by Jumaane Williams, a member of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.
Even if he only holds office for 60 days, Williams could leave a significant political imprint on the city.