Former Citi exec Ray McGuire launches NYC mayoral run in Spike Lee-narrated video

Wall Street executive Ray McGuire, who recently departed Citigroup, announced his run for New York City mayor on Wednesday with a video narrated by film director Spike Lee and music by jazz icon Wynton Marsalis.

"We have an opportunity to rebuild and that starts with who's leading our city," Lee says in the video, which shows McGuire running through an empty Times Square. "If we want to stop more and more jobs and small businesses from vanishing, we need a man who can think big."

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The video tells the story of McGuire's rise from being a poor student in Ohio to becoming a business leader in New York City.

"But this next chapter is not about me. It's about we," McGuire says. "Together we can get New York City working again."

McGuire’s entry to the race comes as Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to face criticism for his handling of the coronavirus, the social unrest earlier in the year and a new measure regarding bail reform.

McGuire left his position as global head of Citibank’s corporate and investment banking to seek the office.

"Ray McGuire has informed us that he has decided to leave Citi to explore opportunities that will allow him to pursue his lifelong passion for public service" said Citigroup CEO Mike Corbat and Paco Ybarra, CEO of the Institutional Clients Group, in a memo obtained by FOX Business in October.

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McGuire, a Democrat, has made contributions to Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and thrown in support for President-elect Joe Biden’s candidacy.

FOX Business' Sumner Park contributed to this report.

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