Retired NYPD Chief of Department John Chell, once the department’s top uniformed officer before stepping down last year, says New York City police officers would see a major payday if voters send him to City Hall in 2029.
“I would make this department the highest paid in the nation,” Chell, an Independent and widely viewed as a longshot mayoral contender, told The Post on Thursday.
Chell, 57, formally launched his New York City mayoral campaign in April with a video posted on X.
Public safety sits at the center of his platform. Chell says he wants to rebuild the NYPD’s ranks to nearly 40,000 officers, up from the roughly 35,000 currently on the force.
The Brooklyn native, who now lives in Staten Island, is also calling for more demanding police training standards, arguing that officers must be better prepared for the realities of the job. That includes physical fitness testing for supervisors and higher-ranking members of the department, he said.
“So look, every rank should be in shape,” said Chell, a blunt-spoken 30-year NYPD veteran who retired last year. “Like every two years, you should be able to run X amount of distance in X amount of time based on your age.”
Still, Chell insists his 2029 mayoral run is not solely about policing or crime.
He said he opposes socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposed pied-à-terre tax, dismissing it as political outreach to the mayor’s base. Chell also says he would target waste in city government and push to address persistent problems inside New York City’s struggling public housing system.
Even though he’s known as a tough guy, there’s a side of him the public doesn’t know, Chell said.
“Nobody knew the community side of me,” he said, explaining that he held Easter Egg hunts, coloring book contests and other activities for children when he led Brooklyn’s 75th and 79th precincts.
“No one saw it,” he said. “No one ever writes about it.”
When asked about his chances, Chell pointed out that Mamdani came from behind to win and he could, too.
“I’m gonna be that wild card,” he said. “I’m not going to subscribe to the cultural norms of any party that tells me I have to act a certain way. I’m part of this village.”
