NEW YORK — New York City is “target number one” for terrorist organizations and the city’s security services must prepare by becoming more proactive, contended NYC Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey in an interview.

Massey slammed his opponent, Mayor Bill de Blasio, for maintaining a “challenging relationship” with the New York Police Department (NYPD), resulting, Massey argued, in a “breakdown of respect” for the mayor’s office among police officers.

Massey was speaking during an onstage interview at the JBiz Expo, an annual business networking and pro-Israel event hosted by the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce.

Asked what he would do to enhance counterterror measures for NYC, a city this reporter contended was the top target for worldwide Islamic terrorist groups, Massey replied:

I’d say I thoroughly agree with you that we are target number one and we have to act like it. Prior administrations were very proactive. First of all, we have the best police force in the country. NYPD are fantastic. They have a challenging relationship with our current mayor. I think that there is an issue of a breakdown of respect there.

Massey referred to a survey last March that found a whopping 96 percent of NYPD cops had an “unfavorable opinion” of de Blasio. And he brought up another poll, conducted by the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, which found that 87 percent of NYPD officers believe the city is less safe under de Blasio.

“That goes to the inherent disrespect between them and the mayor,” he said of the findings. “And everybody in New York City feels that and it is very disconcerting.”

Regarding proposed counterterror measures for the city, Massey stated:

That being said, I want to focus on what the NYPD is doing to proactively address potential terrorist threats. Prior administrations had NYPD active in other hot markets around the world. Listening, looking, cooperating with federal forces; other countries’ intelligence organizations. We need to be proactive about our anti-terror activity and we need to have a mindset that we are a target and we have to keep safe.

Massey is a businessman who founded Massey Knakal Realty, a successful real estate firm that does business across NYC’s five boroughs. His campaign website touts Massey as the “leader New York City needs to bring integrity back to our government and turn our city around.”

Massey has unveiled a local platform that spans the issues of education, public safety, transportation and infrastructure, jobs and housing.

 Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.