It’s an odd place for a stump speech, the steps of Manhattan Criminal Court.

But with a special election looming Sept. 14 — and no chance of resolving his old petit-larceny case before then — City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) decided yesterday’s court date might as well double as a campaign stop.

Wills, vying for re-election in southern Queens, came to court with his publicist, campaign manager and nearly a dozen supporters and learned the next date in the theft case will be on Oct. 4.

“We just wanted to make sure we sent a clear message to others who are . . . just using this to try to detract and distract from the issues that are going on in our community,” Wills said.