Hailing Quinn

Blogger Steve Gilliard, who has a long memory, offers this: "I can remember the last City Council President, which is what the Speaker's job was before the charter revision to eliminate the Board of Estimate. The guy's name was Tom Cuite and he was an Irish guy from Brooklyn who made it his sworn duty to prevent a gay rights bill from being passed in the City Council. "The fact, that in 20 years he can be replaced by a lesbian is a great thing. I've always trusted Quinn as a straightfoward pol and one who doesn't back down from a fight. "Given the still high levels of homophobia in the city, this could be a lot of fun." Hardly the only thing worth noting about Quinn. She's also, as an old friend of hers noted recently, a kind of old-school, gregarious, storytelling Irish politician. But with a Mayor who's looking to repair his pro-gay record, can only make things more interesting. Irresponsible prediction of the day: If she and her partner can be convinced, Mike will find a way to officiate at Chris's wedding.