NYC Biz Leaders Search for Next Mayor/CEO

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will vacate his office in 18 months, the New York Times reports, and local business honchos are already hunting for a replacement candidate who shares Bloomberg's financial independence and city-as-a-business approach. "What the business community wants is not just a businessman but a Bloomberg-type businessman, who is not beholden to special interests," said one corporate bigwig.

Bloomberg, a billionaire financier, has been politically helpful to corporations, especially developers, and has efficiently managed the Big Apple like a company. The executive search team has pressed Time Warner chairman Richard Parsons to seek the job, but he has declined. Some business leaders, like Donald Trump, are pushing for New Yorkers to rethink mayoral term limits.