In a brief phone interview, James said that she had not decided which office to seek, or even if she would in fact run citywide at all.

"I am just exploring some options," she said. "I have another term. The landscape is changing  so I thought I would see what is available."

James was elected to the Council in 2004 in a special election after sitting Councilman James Davis was shot to death at City Hall. She is not termed out until 2017.

But with all three citywide seats up in 2013--assuming that, as expected, Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio run for mayor--the opportunity for advancement could be too great to pass up. James has often been mentioned as a candidate for State Senator Velmanette Montgomery's seat when she retires, and has been in the mix to replace Congressman Ed Towns, when he steps down.

More recently, James has been said to be looking into running for public advocate. She would be a formidable candidate for that seat. She was elected to the Council with the backing of the Working Families Party, who helped propel Bill de Blasio into that seat in 2009. And if she is the lone African-American candidate in the race, she should garner a significant portion of the minority vote, which votes disproportionately in Democratic primaries.  James however has not been known as a prolific fundraiser.

Asked if she was in fact intending to run for Public Advocate, James repeated, "I am exploring options."

"And that is one of them," she added