If Mr. Bloomberg is exploring ways to extend his career in public service, as it appears he is, the logical — and right — next move for him would be not to try to finagle a third term as mayor but to run for governor. While Mr. Bloomberg has been a fine mayor, he has been hemmed in on various occasions by Albany. Lawmakers there killed his plans for an Olympic stadium and an expanded convention center, and they blocked his proposal for congestion pricing. They have capped the number of charter schools in the state and moved to prevent Mr. Bloomberg from using student test results in deciding whether to grant tenure to public school teachers.
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A campaign for governor based on a message of bringing to the rest of the state the same prosperity and economic growth and dynamism that have made New York City boom over the past six years would have a certain appeal. Mr. Bloomberg already has a home outside New York City, in Westchester County's Bedford, so it's not as if he's solely a New York City creature.
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Our own view is that the long-term rebuilding of the Republican Party in New York state is going to come on the shoulders of a leader who is more ideological than Mr. Bloomberg and less of a technocrat. It will be a politician willing to go for large marginal income tax cuts, competition from the private sector in health care, tort reform, and tax credits or vouchers for private schools. It may be that Mr. Bloomberg runs for governor as an independent or on the Liberal Party line. But as we said in respect of his presidential bid, the field would only be strengthened by his presence as a contender. Retirement or the sidelines are no place for a public servant of Mr. Bloomberg's energy and skill.