ALBANY — Former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner may run for governor as an independent in November, a move that could draw votes from a longtime adversary and fellow Democrat, Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In an interview, Miner said that her "supporters" have been talking with firms that specialize in gathering petition signatures, and have also been speaking with potential campaign volunteers.

"It's all part of the exercise of running for office," Miner said.

If she does run – Miner has been floated as a possible candidate for governor for more than a year – it may be as an independent in the general election, or it could still be in the Democratic primary.

Miner declined to name the petitioning firms with which her supporters had been speaking, or to answer whether she would definitely run as a Democrat or alternatively as an independent.

She also does not have a deadline for making a decision on whether to run, she said, although petitioning deadlines are approaching this summer.

"The determining factor will be whether I have the ideas and passion necessary to resonate with New Yorkers," Miner said.

As an independent in the general election, Miner could draw votes from Cuomo, who is seeking his third term, and help the Republican candidate, Dutchess County executive Marc Molinaro. It's also possible that Democrats that might otherwise back Molinaro would be drawn to Miner.

If Miner entered the Democratic primary for governor, she may also pull votes away from actress Cynthia Nixon, who is running an insurgent campaign to be New York's first female governor. Nixon's campaign has gained momentum during the months when Miner has been mulling whether to make a bid.

A third possibility is that Miner will pass on running altogether.

Petitioning begins June 5 for the Democratic primary but doesn't start until July 10 for independent candidates seeking a spot in the general election.

Miner's Twitter feed recently has included a stream of anti-Cuomo critiques, including a tweet on Thursday morning stating that "real suffering" exists in upstate New York due to "public policy failures." Other recent tweets have highlighted the corruption trials this year of former close associates to Cuomo, crumbling infrastructure and issues that touted an anti-Cuomo campaign message.

"MTA, Corruption, PFOA, nanotechnology, sexual harassment payoffs, economic dev[elopment] ... the list is long and Albany leaders should be ashamed and held accountable," she tweeted last week.

One sure line of attack would be the upcoming state bid-rigging trial of five men once close to Cuomo. An epicenter of the trial is Syracuse, one of the sites of the alleged bid rigging. Miner is a long-time adversary of the Syracuse-area firm, COR Development, where two executives face charges.

Miner said her experience as Syracuse mayor would offer a natural platform to talk about curbing corruption in New York.

Both the Working Families Party and Reform Party had discussions with her about running on their tickets, she said. The former ended up endorsing Nixon, the latter, Molinaro.

Miner says she did not try to line up votes at the state Democratic Party convention last week, which means petitioning would be the only way to get onto the Democratic primary ballot.

Miner and Cuomo once had a good relationship – she was co-chair of the state Democratic Party early in the governor's tenure – but the two had a falling out over a 2013 op-ed that Miner penned in the New York Times criticizing Cuomo's budget for leaving municipalities strapped for money. Since then, Miner has been a persistent Cuomo critic.

Miner, as former co-chair of the state party, also has political connections across the state.

But the state Democratic Party establishment is firmly behind Cuomo – as demonstrated by his garnering more than 95 percent of the vote at last week's state Democratic convention.

After eight years as Syracuse mayor, Miner was term-limited out of office at the end of last year.

She briefly considered a bid to replace ex-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned earlier this month hours after allegations surfaced that he had physically abused women. But Miner ruled out a run days later. She also passed on a chance to run for Congress and the state Senate this year.