Who Is Tom Allon And Why Is He Running For Mayor?

Tom Allon is a Manhattan media publisher, as well as a candidate for mayor of New York City.

While he will be competing in the Democratic primaries, he recently secured a position as nominee for the Liberal Party, securing an early presence in the 2013 election, writes Politicker NY.

One of the many reasons Allon may be running for mayor was his dissatisfaction with the way our current mayor has been treating the press. Website Capital New York describes how “some some journalists covering Occupy Wall Street were repeatedly obstructed by police, and others called attention to what has been described as an onerous application process for press credentials.”

From Capital New York:

Allon, like Mayor Bloomberg, is the proprietor of a media company (though hardly the juggernaut that is Bloomberg L.P.) which publishes an array of local magazines and newspapers, including one focused on city and state politics. So it might actually have been a surprise (or a betrayal even) if he thought differently on this point.

“In this age of media consolidation and newsroom layoffs,” the statement reads in part, “the Mayor owes it to the public to empower our tremendous community newspapers, ethnic media, bloggers and citizen journalists to ask the questions that matter most to their readers. If sunlight is the best disinfectant, it’s time that we let the sun shine in to City Hall.”

Might an Allon administration mean press passes for Bensonhurst Bean’s staff?! Either way, it’s a sure-fire method of getting some good press from the hyperlocal literati…

Feel free to share your own questions or thoughts about this candidate in the comments below.