Adolfo Carrión Jr. (Photo: carrion2013.com)

Mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrión Jr. raised just $18,000 over the latest fundraising period, his campaign announced on Monday.

Mr. Carrión, who is running on the Independence Party ticket, still has more than $530,000 cash on-hand--enough to keep him in the race. But the total, raised from March 12 through May 11, is less than the numbers put up by many City Council candidates and is a sure a blow for the former Bronx Borough President's bid for the top job in City Hall.

"Mr. Carrión made a choice to buck the traditional path to City Hall and the old political playbook. Our fundraising this period reflects the challenges that exist for independent campaigns," the campaign said in a statement.

"It demonstrates just how many donors still view our politics as a two-party proposition and the concern some have about the political consequences of giving to an independent campaign. We aim to change that dynamic and remain confident that as the primaries in the Democrat and Republican Parties seek to divide the electorate," they added. "We are paying our bills, building our team, beginning voter contact and doing all the things we need to do to at this point in the campaign. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

Some political observers, however weren't quite so confident in Mr. Carrión's path now. One, Baruch College professor Doug Muzzio, said the numbers were a serious problem for the candidate.

"Fughedaboudit," he said via email. "Can't raise money = no shot."

Candidates across the city have until Wednesday to submit their fund-raising and spending information to the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the starting date of the latest filing period.

(Photo: Getty)

This afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo officially announced his pick to head the Metropolitan Transit Authority, left vacant over 100 days ago when then-Chairman Joe Lhota resigned to pursue a mayoral campaign: M.T.A. Interim Executive Director Tom Prendergast. And Mr. Lhota told Politicker he couldn't be more pleased with the selection.

"Tom Prendergast is a superb choice and he has a unique understanding of the system," Mr. Lhota proclaimed. “And I know of no one who cares more for the customers and the riders than Tom Prendergast. As chairman, I relied on him more than anyone and I think it's a great choice."

Mr. Cuomo, in a statement, was similarly effusive.

“The MTA plays a vital role in New York’s economy and the daily lives of the millions of commuters who use its services," the governor said. "Tom has vast experience in infrastructure and transportation and has spent years managing commuter railroads as well as New York City’s subways and buses. From the track bed to the budget to modernizing our system for the 21st Century, I can’t imagine anyone having a better understanding of how the region’s vast system operates and the challenges that it faces.”

Mr. Prendergast, who still faces approval in the State Senate, was seen as the most likely candidate for the job and was touted by both transit advocates and the transport workers union as the top choice for the job. In particular, they pointed to Mr. Prendergast's management experience--he was president of M.T.A. New York City Transit for the three years, for example.

"The long overdue appointment of Thomas Prendergast as Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is encouraging news," Transportation Alternatives, a public transportation advocacy group, announced in a separate statement. "As the head of New York City Transit during the roll-out of Select Bus Service, Mr. Prendergast is particularly well-positioned to provide much-needed leadership in this area."

For his part, Mr. Prendergrast labeled the nomination "an incredible honor."

“It is an incredible honor to be nominated to lead the largest transportation network in North America, and to work with Governor Cuomo and his administration on the many challenges facing the MTA,” he said in the statement released by the governor's office. “The MTA will improve the customer experience, operate more efficiently and build for the future. And we will aggressively rebuild smarter and better in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy .... I look forward to working with the governor, his management team, the MTA Board and the 66,000 dedicated employees of the MTA family.”

Carl Paladino (Photo: NY1)

For Republican voters in New York, it's Election Day today and you have the choice of voting for Mitt Romney for president, or for one of the three other names on the ballot, two of whom are still technically vying for the nomination.

And it's sentences like the above that has fueled former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino's latest beef.

"You guys in the press have been beating down any opposition to Romney for months. You started four or five months ago telling us, 'Romney's going to win. Romney's going to win,' and trying to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy," he declared on Inside City Hall last night. "That's wrong!"

Mr. Paladino proceeded to suggest the press is in the tank for Mr. Romney because he's paying them off with gobs of money spent on advertising.

"Romney has spent an awful lot of money. Where did the money come from? Who's buying this election?" he asked. "You never bring that up, but he's fed a lot of money to the press and to the TV stations for rotten negative advertising. That's how he has gotten where he is."

When the media keeps reiterating Mr. Romney's advantages, Mr. Paladino said, the public blindly starts supporting him.

"Yes, they like to be on the side of the winner," he said. "When the press is telling them that Romney is the winner, they say, 'Well I guess I'm for Romney.' That's an easy formula to figure out."

Mr. Paladino's preferred candidate in the race? Newt Gingrich. Asked for a prediction, Mr. Paladino said, "I think you're going to see a resurgence that will start right here in New York State. I think Romney's going to be very surprised by the results tomorrow."

The latest Siena poll, taken before Rick Santorum dropped out, had Mr. Gingrich at 6% and Mr. Romney dominating the field. Mr. Gingrich, who can't even really be called a long shot at this point, has been focusing on Delaware, which also votes today.