Elderly Politics

Christine Quinn will announce shortly that she has reached a deal with the Bloomberg administration on a plan to restructure the Department for the Aging.

Michael Bloomberg's plan to overhaul the system of city senior centers, partly by closing many of them, and discontinuing a hot meals-on-wheels program has drawn criticism from advocates for the elderly.

Earlier, Quinn split from Bloomberg and announced she thinks the restructuring plan is happening too fast; one of her likely mayoral opponents, Bill Thompson, rallied against the administration proposal late last month.

Standing up to an ally and reaching a deal with the mayor looks good for Quinn, especially when there are still questions about the secret slush fund.

She'll also retain some ownership over the issue--and the elderly demographic--if she does proceed with a mayoral campaign, as widely expected.

A spokesman for the Department for the Aging confirmed that there is an agreement (in fact, he called to alert reporters of the suddenly reached deal), but declined to release specifics until it was announced publicly. It is scheduled to take place this afternoon at senior center on 12th street.