STATEN ISLAND — A retired Staten Island cop is taking on Bill de Blasio and Joe Lhota with a write-in campaign to become mayor.
Mike Reilly, a retired NYPD lieutenant, said he announced his candidacy because he feels Lhota and de Blasio haven't been specific enough about their plans.
"I wasn't happy with any of the candidates from both sides," Reilly said. "Nobody gave concrete answers or proposals."
While Reilly, who serves on Community Education Council 31, said he doesn't expect to move to Gracie Mansion, he hopes his campaign gets Lhota and de Blasio to address issues he considers important to city residents.
"As a write-in candidate, you got a better shot at getting hit by lighting [than being elected]," he said.
"It's to get them talking, and hopefully it opens the eyes of the voters and they say 'You know what, he's right, they haven't said anything.'"
Issues he wants to highlight are the toll hike on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.
Reilly has laid out a specific campaign platform, mostly focusing on education, safety and transportation. He's posted it on Facebook and emailed residents.
Reilly joined the race after a woman who liked what he had to say created a Facebook page asking people to write his name on the ballot.
"I was very flattered by it," he said. "If this is something that could be done to get the word out and get people talking, I'm all for it."
