A sharp-witted
but unruly quiz show host, an ex-police officer once
branded by a tabloid as ''commander crackpot'' over his
support for softer drug laws, and an avowed leftist
who keeps newts as pets: London's looming mayoral
election promises to be a clash of mavericks.
The eccentric
field for the May election filled out Tuesday, when
Britain's third-ranked Liberal Democrat Party selected Brian
Paddick, a former police commander known for his
advocacy of a lenient approach on cannabis use.
Paddick and
opposition Conservative Party hopeful Boris Johnson, a
gaffe-prone legislator cherished for his humor and chaotic
style, seek to oust two-term incumbent Ken
Livingstone, himself a longtime magnet for
controversy.
First elected in
2000, Livingstone has long raised eyebrows with his
unguarded comments and choice of city hall guests. He has
branded U.S. president George W. Bush as ''the
greatest threat to life on this planet,'' told a
Jewish reporter his job made him akin to a Nazi
concentration camp guard, and labeled Washington's
ambassador in London a ''chiseling little crook.''
Since taking
office, Livingstone, who breeds newts, has also pushed a
raft of environmental policy measures, including a divisive
eight-pound daily levy on city-center driving.
Venezuelan
president Hugo Chavez -- a strident critic of Bush and
ex-British leader Tony Blair -- has been hosted at City
Hall, striking a deal for a state-owned company to
provide cheap oil for London's iconic red buses.
But Livingstone,
who also banned the feeding of pigeons in the city's
Trafalgar Square, has won two four-year terms and is praised
for campaigning to secure the 2012 Olympics for
London.
Livingstone's
challengers hope their foibles are as easily overlooked by
London's nearly 5.5 million voters.
Paddick was
Britain's highest-ranking openly gay police officer until he
resigned this year. He once claimed he was happy to ''turn a
blind eye'' to minor drug use and, under his command,
a London suburb launched an experiment in which those
caught with marijuana escaped arrest.
Paddick told
reporters Tuesday only he could unseat Livingstone, claiming
Johnson could mount a challenge ''if he was prepared to stop
playing the fool -- which he's not.''
But Johnson,
admired for his comedic appearances on satirical TV news
show Have I Got News for You, is likely to pose
the greatest threat to Livingstone. His unruly blond hair
and liberal use of bygone phrases such as ''crikey''
and ''gadzooks'' endear him to many.
The legislator
and former magazine editor has used his charm to overcome
criticism following alleged extramarital affairs and
ill-advised comments.
In 2004, he was
ordered by Conservative leaders to apologize after
accusing the northern city of Liverpool of wallowing in
victimhood after the beheading of a local man, Ken
Bigley, in Iraq. The same year, Johnson resigned
as his party's spokesman on culture following reports
of an affair. In typical style, he branded the allegations
''an inverted pyramid of piffle.'' (AP)
