Sal Albanese, who earned a reputation as a maverick during his 16 years representing Bay Ridge on the City Council in the 1980s and ’90s, is making another run for mayor, after a strong third place finish in the 1997 Democratic primary, an abandoned campaign in 2001 and a weak finish four years ago.

This year, the 68-year-old Italian-born attorney, who now lives in Staten Island, is the most experienced of the handful of primary challengers to incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio. Though defiant toward what he says is the mayor’s effort to marginalize his candidacy, Albanese is a clear underdog, having raised less than $210,000 with no public matching funds, according to city Campaign Finance Board records, and with just $22,000 in cash on hand. The mayor, in contrast, has spent $2.7 million and has nearly $5 million on hand.