Michael’s restaurant, at 24 W. 55th St., is known as being the center of power lunches and celebrity diners, but I just wanted to know if the great cheeseburger they served me last year was routinely wonderful. After checking in at the front desk, I turned around and there was the author Dominic Dunne. I was tempted to say, “I read all your books but I didn’t care for the last one,” but of course I didn’t.

I had scheduled an interview with Steve Shaw, who’s running against Mayor Bloomberg in the GOP primary this September. Mr. Shaw showed up promptly and I wasted no time in getting to the hard questions.

“What,” I asked, “makes you think you have any chance against a billionaire incumbent?”

“Actually,” he answered, “it’s very winnable. Only about 65,000 voted in the last GOP primary. Most of these tended to be conservative Republicans.”

Mr. Shaw went on to say that the four candidate Democratic primary will probably be divisive and whoever wins the nomination will be damaged by it. The race, he speculated, will be a three-way battle among conservatives/right-to-lifers; moderates, and the liberal, gay-rights advocates.

He’s not afraid of being the conservative, right-to-life candidate, but there are many other issues that need to be addressed, such as education, transportation, and sanitation.

This candidate is only 30 years old, and when I brought up the issue of his youth he reminded me that Theodore Roosevelt was elected to the state Assembly when he was only 24. Mr. Shaw’s youth means he has the energy and vision to solve problems. His rise to the position of vice president of investment banking at a securities firm at 29 should give some indication of his abilities, he asserted.

Next big question: the smoking ban. Had Mr. Bloomberg campaigned on this issue, he would never have been elected. I have heard many comments from former Bloomberg supporters who will not support him now because of that one issue. Mr. Shaw, if elected, would allow bars to permit smoking if they provide smoking rooms with air-purification systems. He said that 40% of bar owners have said they are losing business because of the ban.

Still, the odds against Mr. Shaw are huge. Mr. Bloomberg is a relatively successful incumbent and has unlimited money to campaign. Although Mr. Shaw said he intends to make use of the 6-to-1 campaign matching funds that the city offers, he said he believes the criteria should be changed. The provision was meant to promote new candidates running for office. Instead, taxpayers are financing the campaigns of incumbents, even those running unopposed. This is absolutely ridiculous – but just further proof that our city government needs a complete overhaul.

It may be outrageous even to consider a pro-lifer getting elected mayor of New York City, but stranger things have happened. Ordinarily, a mayor has little to do with the abortion issue, and that’s why I voted for Rudy Giuliani even though he holds a pro-choice position. Mr. Bloomberg, however, has made it quite clear that he is not impartial and has alienated right-to-life New Yorkers.

Steve Shaw named a number of steps Mr. Bloomberg has taken while in office that clearly signal where the mayor’s allegiance lies. Under his administration, the Economic Development Corporation decided to issue $32 million in bonds for Planned Parenthood to renovate its headquarters, and the city’s public hospitals began giving mandatory abortion training to student doctors.

The 2004 election proved that the conservatives can turn out in large numbers, and they are definitely not in Mr. Bloomberg’s corner this year. But can a young upstart like Mr. Shaw beat him? The Queens Republican Party announced its endorsement of Tom Ognibene, the former city councilman who has entered the race.

I asked a Queens civic leader, Patrick Hurley, for his opinion of Mr. Shaw. His response: “There is tremendous admiration for the courage and tenacity of Steve Shaw. He kept the fire of hope burning when there was nobody else. However, reality must be faced. Tom Ognibene has gravitas in NYC politics. He has over three decades of experience in GOP and Conservative politics. He has 10 years’ experience as an elected official. He was a major architect of the Giuliani revolution. Steve should throw his lot in with Tom Ognibene.”

As I munched my delicious cheeseburger, I looked at the very young and optimistic Mr. Shaw, thus far totally untarnished by the corruption of city politics, and I realized how tired I am of professional politicians. It would be far better for the city if Mr. Ognibene threw in his lot with Mr. Shaw.