Against the backdrop of increasing worry among the political allies of Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15) confirmed to InsiderNJ that he would size up a mayoral run in New Jersey’s capital city if Jackson bails on a reelection bid.

“I’ve supported him in the past, and I’m going to support him in the future, but if he doesn’t run, I’m thinking about it,” Gusciora said, on the heels of this Trentonian story.

Following InsiderNJ first reporting on Jackson’s at-the-edge-of-aborting reelection, sources expressed irritation at the mayor, whom they said continues to bottle up the city’s politic and empower “the city’s crazies,” in the words of one.

“He’s holding out for a job in the Murphy Administration, and of course all these guys think they deserve the best gig in the world,” one source said, while another insisted that it’s a private sector, not a government job, that has Jackson in wait-and-see mode. Still another source told InsiderNJ that former Mayor Doug Palmer told people publicly last week that the sitting mayor intends to run again. But there’s an overriding sense of exasperation at the moment.

Gusciora has speculated on running for mayor in the past, as he now faces his own volatile political circumstances. A source told InsiderNJ that key players in the Mercer Democratic Party establishment want to empty the assemblyman’s LD15 seat in order to promote a woman from Trenton to make possible the promotion of Carpenter Freeholder Anthony Verrelli.

Judges robes appeared to be the easiest fit, but the assemblyman, sizing up mayor, appears eager to keep his options open.