The world is supposed to end in 2012, according to the Mayans, hard-line Christians, and the homeless guy on the corner holding the cardboard sign.

But if it doesn't, New Yorkers may wish it had just so they could get a bit of respite from what is shaping up to be a bruising, expensive, relentless battle to succeed Michael Bloomberg as the city's mayor.

Though Election Day 2013 is still far away, it's the first time the city will have a new top dog in 12 years, so this battle will get intense early, bringing out all the political dreamers who were unable to get into Gracie Mansion over the past generation.

This slideshow offers a look at who to pay attention to as the mayoral race shapes up over the next 12 months.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent 12 years in Gracie Mansion. In that time he has been rumored to be considering a run for president and also to be a possible selection for Treasury Secretary under President Barack Obama (possibly because Obama wanted him to pay off some of the nation's debt with his massive wealth.) Predicting Bloomy's next move will be an increasingly-popular parlor game as his exit nears. International Business Times
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (c.) is seen as Mayor Michael Bloomberg's (l.) right-hand girl. A tough-speaking Manhattan lesbian with close ties to the administration and a long legislative history, she must overcome a number of hurdles, but she has been the most prolific fundraiser of the 2013 contenders so far. International Business Times
City Comptroller John Liu
City Comptroller John Liu's political future is a popular topic in New York political circles. Wikipedia
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Police Commissioner Ray Kelly
NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly remains in favor of New York's stop-and-frisk policy. Reuters
Gristedes Foods CEO John Catsimatidis
Gristedes Foods CEO John Catsimatidis Wikipedia Commons
Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin's infamous phone call made to his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, in which he called her a "rude, thoughtless pig," made some question his parenting skills. Reuters
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