Peter Vallone

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Here’s part of the invitation a reader sent over for Queens Borough President candidate Peter Vallone, Jr.'s birthday party and fund-raiser for next month.

Many fund-raisers feature a cutesy way of referring to different levels of contributors. This one takes the cutesiness to a whole new level.

Ticket Prices:
$3,850 – BFF
$1,000 – Best Friend
$500 – Good Friend
$100 – Pal
$20 – Buddy

A reader safely tucked into her office at One Centre Street sent this picture from far above the festivities celebrating the Super Bowl victory of the New York Giants.

"This is madness," writes the reader. "I'm already panicked about how to get lunch."

It took me about 30 minutes to work my way through the crowd, and I ran into Peter Vallone, Jr., who was having the same problem.

Coucilman Peter Vallone. Jr.'s resolution to limit homework in New York City public schools has faced resistance since he started talking about it last November. Today's attack, Vallone says, is unfair.

In a column today, John Dipaolo, whose organization runs two charter schools, opposes Vallone’s resolution, and supports his case by referring to the film Two Million Minutes, which compares the time that high school students in various nations spend on schoolwork.  read more »

Welcome Republican operative Robert Hornak officially to the 2009 race for City Council.

Hornak, who has been raising money to run for the Astoria seat that Peter Vallone Jr. will be term-limited out of, is having a kick-off event on February 2 featuring: Niger Innis, Herb London, Queens G.O.P. leader Phil Ragusa, and the unmistakable Curtis Sliwa.  read more »

Here’s what Democratic City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who already flirted with the idea of supporting a Bloomberg presidential bid, said during a taping of NBC's News Forum this morning:

"I think they are very seriously looking at this. Here's their problem. They can get on the ballot, money can do that for you, and he's a great candidate, so that can do that. The problem is, with three candidates in the race, it's very likely that nobody gets majority of the electoral vote. Then what happens? It gets very confusing. It's only happened once before in history. It goes to the Congress, and now the Congress picks the president. So as we all know, the Congress is Democrat-Republican. How do you get the Congress to go for an independent? That's their quandary right now. That's what they're trying to figure out."

The interview airs Sunday.

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.”

City Councilwoman Helen Sears is another council member who will be term-limited out of office in 2009 and may be running for a higher office.

Sears is seeking donations up to $3,850, the Campaign Finance Board’s contribution limit for borough president candidates, at a December 19 fund-raiser. The event takes place at 5:30 at the restaurant 17 Murray and the invitation gives top billing to Christine Quinn.

A message left for the treasurer of Sears’ campaign committee was not immediately returned.

Running in that race already are Peter Vallone, Jr., Leroy Comrie, and, possibly, Audrey Pheffer.

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Over the weekend, the Rudy Giuliani billing scandal that has been dubbed both the "Shag Fund" and Judygate played on, with both national and local press seizing on angles to further the story.

The New York Post reported that, in addition to the mayor himself, one of Giuliani's top aides also spent at least one summer night in the Hamptons on the city's dime, while the Daily News added that, in addition to chauffeuring Judith Nathan around, the N.Y.P.D. apparently took her to visit her parents in Pennsylvania, and occasionally even walked her dog. According to CBS, her family got to ride around with the N.Y.P.D. as well.

ABC News reported that Ray Kelly doesn't think Giuliani's story adds up and Michael Bloomberg's girlfriend says she has never had her own security detail. David Seifman calculated that the breakup of Rudy's marriage to Donna Hanover also cost the city a whole bunch of money.

In commentary, Michael Goodwin wrote that Giuliani's personal life is his last hurdle to the presidency, Josh Marshall explained why, contrary to intuition, Giuliani isn't guilty like Alan Hevesi, and Gail Collins just thinks, "Rudy is one of those people who doesn’t handle power well."

More after the jump.  read more »

Buried deep in Staten Island Advance reporter Sally Goldenberg's piece about the plastic bag recycling bill working its way through the City Council is this line: "The council employs the Albany lobbying firm of Brown McMahon & Weinraub LLC, of which [Council sanitation committee chair Michael] McMahon's brother, Thomas, is a principal. The lobbying firm has earned $18,000 this year for its efforts."

I asked Michael about it.

“He has a client who has a position on the bill," he told me, referring to his brother. "They did not request the bill. They were not involved in the drafting of the bill. The first time I heard they had a position on the bill is when they came to the hearing.”

More after the jump.  read more »