City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D−Astoria) said he plans to run for a third term this fall after giving up his bid for Queens borough president amid the overturning of term limits last year.
Vallone, first elected to the Council in 2001, said he will officially kick off his re−election campaign at a March 19 event for his birthday at the Central Lounge, which is located at 20−30 Steinway St. in Astoria. The councilman, who plays guitar, will perform songs with his brother and Council District 19 contender Paul Vallone.
“The bad news about the term limits extension is that I’ll have to put my anticipated borough president campaign on hold,” he said. “The good news is that I get to run again for a job that I love.”
Vallone had cancelled his run for the borough’s top office after the Council voted to extend term limits in November. At that time, he had said he would not run against Borough President Helen Marshall.
The councilman said he will consider running for borough president again in the future.
In the meantime, he said his Council campaign would focus on issues on which he had previously run.
“I’ll fight for safer streets, a clean environment and better schools,” he said. “I think with the faltering economy, those issues become even more important. The administration’s budget has cut down on our police force, which could affect the safety of our citizens.”
— Nathan Duke
