Bloomberg courted Ray Kelly to succeed him as mayor: Report

Mayor Michael Bloom-berg tried to woo Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to run for mayor, but the city's top cop said no thanks, according to The New Yorker.

A profile of the mayor published online Monday said Bloomberg went as far as to hire pollster Douglas Schoen to conduct a poll to help "convince" the 72-year-old police commissioner to run for mayor, but Kelly still refused.

When a reporter inquired about the article during an unrelated news conference, the mayor said he didn't know what the reporter was talking about and changed the subject.

Despite his efforts to get Kelly to run, political experts say the mayor's purported attempt doesn't show a lack of enthusiasm for the current candidates; rather, it was a chance for him to extend his legacy.

"If Bloomberg wanted to have influence from afar, having someone he hand-picked would be the best shot," said Christina Greer, an assistant professor of political science at Fordham University.

The New Yorker piece said Hillary Clinton and Daily News publisher Mortimer Zuckerman also declined solicitations from Bloomberg to run.

Kelly, who was with Bloomberg at the news conference, declined to comment. Schoen didn't return messages for comment.

In a Quinnipiac University poll in May, 45% of voters said Kelly should run for mayor.