Vallone Needles Bloomberg About (And May Endorse) '08 Bid

Although it's usually not a particularly popular event, Peter Vallone, Jr., told me that all the press was at this morning’s bill signing ceremony because the newspapers were full of Bloomberg '08 speculation.

“So, we’re doing my public lewdness bill," Vallone said. "It’s the third bill to go and I get up and I go, ‘I think getting tough on public lewdness is a great way to launch a presidential campaign.’ So, he’s [Bloomberg's] behind me and he goes, ‘Why--are you running?’"

Vallone said he responded, “Of course, I meant borough president.”

According to Vallone's retelling, Bloomberg then looked around at the room full of City Council members and noted, “Looks like I’m the only one up here not running for anything."

When I said that Vallone sounded like someone who is ready to endorse Bloomberg any day, he responded, “I was one of the first Democrats to endorse him for mayor. So nothing is outside the realm of possibility.”