Vito Lopez on 'Unstoppable' Bloomberg, Some Unfinished Business

Vito Lopez, the Brooklyn Democratic County Leader, told me in an interview yesterday that Michael Bloomberg is “almost unstoppable” in his quest for a third mayoral term. But Christine Quinn’s re-election as City Council speaker is another matter.

Before he decides whether he will support Quinn for speaker again, Lopez wants to settle another issue, in addition to “meeting the needs” of the 16 City Council members from the borough. Lopez said he’s meeting with city lawmakers to figure out “how we find a Brooklyn candidate for the city clerk's position," a reference to the recent appointment to that position of someone from the Bronx (who has since left), much to the chagrin of Brooklyn lawmakers.

He added, "What is off the table is the issue of speaker. It’s not something we’re going to talk about.”