Mayor Mike was, in fact, a skilled political operator, who like other pols deftly plied the levers of power, and unlike other pols had a vast fortune to magnify his official authority. He showed guts in raising taxes to close post-September 11 budget gaps and in winning mayoral control of the school system, but his managerial skills were less than magnificent on NYCHA, CityTime, homelessness and other challenges.

While Bloomberg's politics didn't hew to traditional camps of the left or right, he certainly had an ideology. He believed in some forms of regulation to protect the public health, but otherwise trusted the market to get it right. He picked good fights on climate and guns, but was not upset by income inequality. Whether on stop-and-frisk or Muslim surveillance or restricting protest, he supported an aggressive use of law-enforcement powers.

Bloomberg accomplished a lot as mayor, had some fine moments and avoided some of the divisiveness of his predecessor. His record, however, is very complex, as it is for all New York City mayors. When he left office, City Limits summed it up with a Top 10 List of Top 10 Lists. 

As the former mayor enters the race having avoided the months of scrutiny other candidates have endured, and with billions to spend, we can't expect his TV commercials to capture that nuance. Luckily, reporting of the past and the present will. -Jarrett Murphy