Chirlane McCray Says She'll Consider Run For Office In 2021

NEW YORK, NY — First lady Chirlane McCray may try to stay in City Hall after her husband leaves office. McCray told NY1 on Monday that she'll consider running for an elected city position at the end of Mayor Bill de Blasio's second term in 2021.

McCray told NY1 political reporter Courtney Gross that she wouldn't try to succeed her husband in the city's top job. But that leaves several options on the table — including de Blasio's old Brooklyn City Council seat and his other previous post as public advocate.

"I would consider running for office, absolutely," McCray said in an on-camera interview. "I tell women all the time, 'You should run, you should seriously consider running for office.'"

McCray said she wants to continue her work to grow ThriveNYC, the mental health initiative she spearheads, before plotting her next steps in more detail. But a 2021 campaign could very well be in the cards.

"I want to do the very best job I can at what I’m doing right now," McCray told NY1. "I want Thrive to be successful more than anything and that is where I’m going to put all my intention, and then figure out what comes next."

McCray has taken on an increasingly visible role in de Blasio's Democratic administration. In addition to being the driving force behind ThriveNYC, an initiative worth more than $800 million, she has played a role in filling top city posts, including the selection of Richard Carranza as the incoming schools chancellor.

On Tuesday she appeared at an event alongside Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio about the city's efforts to aid Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

Though she's legally barred from collecting a city salary, McCray's prominence and influence as an unelected relative of the mayor's has drawn criticism.

But de Blasio has defended her, suggesting her work for the city deserves compensation. At a Gracie Mansion event on Thursday, he called her "my partner in all I do, and someone who has done so much for this city."

"I don't understand it, because if someone's working full time and is a professional with a lot of background and applying themselves, I don't understand why they can't get paid," de Blasio said at an unrelated news conference on Wednesday.

Asked about the controversy on Monday, McCray said she brings "a different perspective to the table" that the mayor appreciates.

"No one did elect me, but the mayor chose me and wants me to serve as an adviser, and it’s something that I want to do as well," McCray told NY1. "I have something to give. I have skills to contribute to this administration, and why shouldn’t I?"

(Lead image: First lady Chirlane McCray speaks at an event in Chicago in January 2018. Photo by Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Kennedy Forum)