Surveying New York political landscape, Charles Barron, a New York City Councilmember, prides himself in keeping his finger on the City's pulse.

And after spending almost a decade at City Hall, Barron has had ample opportunity to assess the performances of the two men who are expected to fight it out to be Mayor in the November election, the current City chief executive, Michael Bloomberg, and City Comptroller William "Billy" Thompson.

And what he has seen has convinced him Thompson would win.

"I know Billy can beat him in November," Barron told the Carib News. "I think he can defeat him by moving beyond the traditional campaign, such as raising a lot of money and then spending it. We have to think outside the box."

By now it should have become clear that he is endorsing one of the most effective Comptroller's the City has had in decades and why he says "I am backing him 1,000 percent."

As Barron, who plans to seek re-election to a third consecutive term to his East New York Council seat in Brooklyn and who is considered a shoo-in, sees it, Bloomberg recognizes he can be beaten when he goes up against Thompson, who is almost certain to be the Democratic standard-bearer in the race.

"Bloomberg is vulnerable and that's why he has his media advertisements out so soon," Barron insisted. "He has his mailing done so soon and he is making his calls so early."

Thompson, on the other hand, may have suffered because of a lack of a widely publicized primary race against U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner of Queens, who dropped out the other day and has pledged to throw his full support behind the Comptroller.

"Billy was at a disadvantage when Weiner dropped out. If the Congressman would have been in and competing in a Democratic primary, the talk would have been Billy and Weiner," said Barron. "What that does is to give Bloomberg a free hand to come out this early. But the Mayor is doing it because he knows he is vulnerable."

The Councilmember, who eschews neckties and conventional suits but who is often on the frontlines marching in support of victims of alleged human and civil rights violations, listed some key factors behind what is repeatedly described as Bloomberg's vulnerability.

At the top of the list is the term limit issue. He argues the Mayor angered New Yorkers who had expected him to uphold the two-term limit at City Hall. When he went back on his word and fought and got the system changed, people at all levels disapproved.

Next is the budget crunch.

"He is vulnerable because of the budget slices that he is making now," Barron condemned. "He is shutting down senior centers while building Yankee Stadium and building the new one for the Mets. He is eliminating youth programs and cutting the money normally allocated for students attending the City University of New York. His action with CUNY is causing tuition to go up."

The Councilmember, who has made no secret of his intention to seek a seat in Congress in 2012, provided, of course, that U.S. Representative Ed Towns is still in the House of Representatives after the 2010 election when he must face a primary candidate, said that with the City threatening to cut its payroll "by firing nearly 3,000 City workers," Bloomberg could be beaten.

He disputes the mayor's claim of creating 400,000 jobs, complaining that Bloomberg was seeking to take credit for the opportunities being created by the Obama Administration's stimulus program. "That is Obama's stimulus money," Barron asserted. "When he talks about of the Second Avenue subway and the creation of jobs that will come with the construction that is all because of Obama. It is nothing the mayor has done."

The Councilmember also complained that the mayor was shutting the doors of day care operations for people's children and then "telling the City he is creating jobs." Even worse, he said, Bloomberg had presided over an era of mushrooming homelessness across the City. And to support his claim, he said that before Bloomberg assumed office almost eight years ago, some 5,000 families were, on average, living in homeless shelters. Today, that figure was 8, 000, he said. Back in 2001, the City had an average of 9,300 children in homeless shelters while the current population amounted to 14,000 children without a roof over their heads, Barron said.

"Under Bloomberg the gap is widest in New York than in any city in the country, between the rich and poor," Barron charged. "When he came in, the average income was $110,000. Now it is $148,000 at the top. The bottom 20 percent went from $16,000 to $17,000, just a five percent increase. Under Bloomberg the gap is worst than any other mayor."

There is more.

Barron cited the Police Department's "stop-and-frisk" policy and questioned its effectiveness.

"Under the mayor we have 543,000 stop-and frisk," he charged. "Of that number only two percent led to anyone being charged with possessing a gun and only seven percent to youths getting a summons or arrested."

What's undeniable, he says, Blacks and Hispanics have suffered the most, accounting for a combined 80 percent of those being frisked. Barron remains convinced that when the facts are laid bare before voters, the current mayor would be found wanting. And that, in turn, could lead to a Thompson victory.