Lawyer says he is running for NYC mayor

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A New York lawyer whose estranged wife is dating former Beatle Paul McCartney says he will run for mayor of the largest U.S. city as a Republican.

Bruce Blakeman told the New York Post that his models are the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, a Democrat turned Republican turned independent, and his predecessor, Rudolph Giuliani, a Republican.

"I think there's a real desire for continuity," he said.

The 52-year-old Blakeman once served as presiding officer of the legislature in suburban Nassau County. In 1998, he ran for state comptroller, losing to Democrat Carl McCall.

Nancy Shevell, Blakeman's estranged wife, is a board member of the MTA, the New York regional transit system. Last year, she was reported to be involved with McCartney, who recently shed his second wife in a nasty divorce case.

At least five others from both parties are reported to be contemplating mayoral runs. To complicate things, Bloomberg has not ruled out trying to change the city's term limits law to allow him to run for a third term.