Hillary Clinton For NYC Mayor in 2013: Big Apple Mayor Bloomberg Says Yes

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg encouraged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run for mayor of New York City in 2013, according to The New York Times.

Clinton would be leaving her post in the Obama administration early next year to presumably focus on her life as a private citizen. However, speculation about the secretary of state's future plans in the public arena runs rampant — including the fact that she would be well positioned to run for president in 2016 (and now, apparently, for mayor of the Big Apple in 2013).

However, Clinton continues to deny any further political aspirations:

“I have been on this high wire of national and international politics and leadership for 20 years [...] it has been an absolutely extraordinary personal honor and experience. But I really want to just have my own time back. I want to just be my own person. I'm looking forward to that," she told Marie Claire magazine back in October.

Still, Bloomberg's proposal could be a brilliant move to clear Hillary out of the way, were he interested in trying for the land's highest office in 2016. However, it's a move not exempt from controversy — as the mayor would be blocking the path of previously endorsed Speaker of the New York City Council Christine Quinn (the first female and first openly gay speaker of the Empire State).