City Comptroller William Thompson Jr. announced yesterday that he will not run for mayor next year. Comptroller Thompson, who had been critical of the Mayor's $166 million deal with Snapple to be the official drink of the city (and it's still questionable whether or not the deal is all that great for NYC), had been raising money, fueling speculation he was gearing up for a run. However, some think that Thompson's decision has to do with the Mayor's approval ratings going up, plus his willingness to spend spend spend on a campaign, taken with the racial battles in previous Democratic primaries, and the fact that he's been doing a great job as city comptroller. Instead, Thompson might try to run for Mayor in 2009. So, it looks like the Democrats in the mix to run for Mayor are: City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields, Congressman Anthony Weiner, and former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer.

And in sorta related news, since it involves a comptroller: State Comptroller Alan Hevesi says the NYC budget deficit won't be the $3 billion Mayor Bloomberg project - it will be more like $3.6 billion, because of education spending.