By Heather Grossmann
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Fictional "Simpson's" billionaire Monty Burns is making one last big push for the office of mayor of New York City.
Undaunted by the extensive get-out-the-vote efforts of fellow billionaire and mayoral rival Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Burns’ campaign hit the streets Monday morning, canvassing the city with “Monty Burns for Mayor” posters.
“He [Comptroller William Thompson] has absolutely no chance against Bloomberg,” said Boris Rasin, Burns’ alleged P.R. flack. “Bloomberg needed some real competition in the form of Charles Montgomery Burns.”
The candidate is running as an independent candidate and received an endorsement from former rival City Councilman Tony Avella.
Burns’ campaign staff was miffed their candidate was not invited to participate in the mayoral debates, but Burns made an appearance anyway at the second debate in the “BurnsMobile,” a uHaul plastered with campaign posters.
Bloomberg is not the only target of Burns’ vitriol. In a recent video posted on the campaign’s website, Burns disparaged Green Party candidate Rev. Billy Talen, calling him a “dandy fellow” and a waste of a vote.
In another, he says, “New Yorkers know Michael Bloomberg has been the worst mayor in this city’s history, but what do we really know about his main opponent, Bill Thompson?” The video goes on — somewhat mysteriously — to question whether or not Thompson has been lying about his age.
Manhattan artists Boris Rasin and Kenny Komer started the multimedia project at the end of September as part of a public arts festival called “Art in Odd Places.” The "Monty Burns for Mayor" campaign has 3,462 Facebook fans and a street team campaign has been visiting Union Square every weekend to hand out literature promoting Burns’ candidacy.
The artists say that they are not collaborating with "The Simpsons'" creators, but they have yet to receive a cease-and-desist letter and campaign posters sent to the show's executives were well received.
In their communications, Rasin and Komer carefully stick to the script, answering questions as if Burns is a real mayoral contender.
“2012 is just around the corner,” Rasin said, speaking about Burns’ potential post-Nov. 3 political future and possible presidential aspirations. “We’ll leave it open-ended.”
Burns’ stumping revolves around a few notable issues: a zero-tolerance anti-hipster policy (interesting as the brains behind the campaign attended notorious hipster-haven, Cooper Union School of Art…); a four-borough economic plan excluding Staten Island from New York City; and the construction of a nuclear power plant, a Burns specialty.
While the creators refuse to classify the project as politics or art —"We'll leave it up to you" — their work raises some interesting, if obvious, points.
“Why not vote him [Bloomberg] out of office?” Burns says in a campaign video at a Town Hall meeting. “He may have changed the rules, but all of you can still vote.”
Inspiring words for an uninspired electorate.
