A millionaire tech businessman on Wednesday entered the race to replace Mayor Bloomberg, saying the current group of candidates would take the city backward.
Jack Hidary announced he would be running as an independent.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, the 45-year-old Hidary made his fortune in technology, and is the co-founder of dice.com, a job website.
Hidary said he decided to get into the race because the current candidates didn’t offer forward-thinking policies.
“It is clear that New Yorkers understand that the current crop of candidates want to take us back to tired policies and machine politics,” he said. “They want a new, independent choice.”
He touted his experience creating businesses and jobs as among his strengths. His campaign said he’s raised more than $450,000 in donations.
Hidary told The Associated Press he plans to take part in the public financing system as well as use his own money.
The field is already a crowded one with multiple candidates on both the Democratic and Republican sides seeking their parties’ nomination. The primary is in September and the general election in November.
Bloomberg is finishing his third term in office.