Billionaire grocery and oil magnate John Catsimatidis is set to formally announce his candidacy for mayor as a Republican in a few minutes on the steps of City Hall. Politicker has obtained a copy of the prepared version of the remarks Mr. Catsimatidis plans to deliver. His speech bills him as a native New Yorker who will use his wealth to be an “independent” leader for residents in all parts of the five boroughs.

“In 1949 my parents emigrated from Greece in search of a better life. … Like so many immigrants before and since, they came to our city with little money in their pocket and only a few words of English in their vocabulary. But, they came with a great deal of hope and a desire to work hard so I could have the opportunities they had been denied,” Mr. Catsimatidis’ speech says. “We settled in Harlem and my father found work as a bus-boy while my mother stayed home to care for me. We were poor and times were hard. … Now, 64 years later, I stand before you to formally announce my candidacy for mayor. I enter this race as a true son of New York; I gre up in its neighborhoods, I was educated in its public schools and I started off as a small businessman selling groceries to its people.” Read More