The field for the 2009 Mayor’s race just got a little smaller as Queens and Brooklyn Congressmember Anthony Weiner made official the announcement that had been rumored for months – he will not run for mayor in 2009.
Weiner, who penned an Op-Ed in The New York Times on Wednesday, May 27 to declare he would not pursue the city’s highest office, spoke about his desire to stay in Washington and fight for issues that are important to New Yorkers. In the piece, he spoke about the nature of political campaigns becoming more negative and drawn out, and the prospects of going up against incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the $80 million dollars he is expected to spend on the race.
“With spending like that, regular debates about real issues will probably take a back seat to advertising,” Weiner wrote in The New York Times. “As a native of Brooklyn, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t savor a good scrap. But I’m disappointed because I’m increasingly convinced a substantive debate simply isn’t likely right now.”
Weiner, a protégé of New York State Senator Chuck Schumer, served as a City Councilmember before being elected to Schumer’s old seat in Congress in 1998. Weiner ran in the Democratic primary for Mayor in 2005 against former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, losing narrowly to Ferrer in the primary and then conceding the race instead of participating in a run-off.
The day before the Op-Ed, reports began to circulate the Weiner would officially renounce his candidacy. On that same day, the Queens County Democratic Party voted unanimously to back City Comptroller Bill Thompson in the Mayor’s race. Thompson said Weiner would be a formidable candidate for any seat he ran for, and he respects his decision to stay in Washington and continue to work during this important time.
“However, my decision to run for Mayor has nothing to do with who else may be in the race and everything to do with how I will bring change and new leadership to City Hall,” Thompson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Bloomberg campaign continues in high gear, with the campaign expected to open six new offices throughout the city – with two in Queens – by June 1. One office will be at 157-16 Northern Boulevard in Flushing and the other at 65-12 Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica. The campaign already opened offices in all five boroughs, bringing the total number of offices in the city to 11.
“Strengthening our economy, lowering crime, improving education, and bringing jobs to our communities are my top priorities,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “I intend to reach out to as many voters as possible and these offices will be another way for me to hear the concerns of everyday New Yorkers.”
