The two star-crossed lovers stared into each other's eyes on Tuesday. (Photo: Getty)

Mister Bloomberg kissed Miss Piggy again, and his girlfriend didn't like it.

The fateful exchange came on Tuesday, when Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Muppets creator Jim Henson's estate donated nearly 400 puppets, costumes and props to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

Asked about the subsequent kiss he shared with Miss Piggy during his weekly WOR radio show this morning, the mayor said his girlfriend Diana Taylor disapproved.

"She was a little bit frosty that night," Mr. Bloomberg reflected. "She reminded me of the Grouch a little bit."

Laughing, he added, "I've got to talk to her."

It should be noted that Mr. Bloomberg pecked Miss Piggy's cheek on at least one other occasion as well--a year ago at another Muppet-themed press conference. At the time, Mr. Bloomberg gave himself some better cover, insisting, “A kiss with Diana is better. Just to get me through the evening.”

Mr. Bloomberg has shared several other notable smooches, including his famous New Year's Eve kiss with pop sensation Lady Gaga, and a recent peck from a sea lion.

After the Gaga kiss, Politicker asked Ms. Taylor whether the mayor had asked permission before locking lips with others.

“He always asks for forgiveness," she answered. "Never permission.”

Ginger Lee speaking to the media about then-Rep. Weiner on June 15, 2011. (Photo: Getty)

Count Ginger Lee, a stripper who was intimately involved in the sexting scandal that led to former Congressman Anthony Weiner's downfall, among his detractors as he now seeks the top job in City Hall.

"I do not think Anthony Weiner should run for Mayor of New York City because even now, nearly two years after this story broke, there are still details relating to other women that have not been exposed," Ms. Lee said in a statement sent to Politicker. "Each time Anthony Weiner deflects or obfuscates these details, my life and perhaps the lives of other women are made more difficult by the increased attention from the media."

In the lengthy statement, Ms. Lee, who held a press conference during the height of the controversy to declare that Mr. Weiner had asked her to lie about lewd emails she reportedly received from him, simply said New York City "can do better."

"At this point, I would just like to go on with my life and career in business without having to think about Anthony Weiner," she said. "I think that city of New York can do better than having a Mayor that is the butt of jokes and has been involved in scandal. Thank you."

Mr. Weiner announced his highly-anticipated mayoral campaign early Wednesday morning and has been subject to intense press coverage since. He has admitted to exchanging inappropriate communications with at least six women and urged the media to move on from the incident and subsequent cover-up.

View the entire statement, sent to Politicker through attorney Gloria Allred, below:

Statement of Ginger Lee In Response to the Decision of Anthony Weiner To Run For Mayor Of New York

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner has now decided to launch his campaign for Mayor of New York City. In 2011, when the unfortunate events that became known as "WeinerGate" occurred, members of the media, bloggers, and other intrusive parties called, emailed me, & even camped in front of my home. As I stated during the height of this scandal in 2011, I am an innocent party who just happened to agree with many of the issues Congressman Weiner championed in Washington.

I made a statement in a press conference on June 2011, and I would like to reiterate that statement today.

"When I started interacting with Anthony Weiner, it was over politics and once the electronic communication began we did communicate on a fairly regular basis. However, I did not sext Anthony Weiner. I did not send photos to him or receive any from him. Anytime that he would take our communications in a sexual direction, I did not reciprocate.

When the tweet regarding his crotch went out, I had already been told by him about a Twitter sex scandal on the horizon. At the time, I did not think it would be what it became. When the scandal broke and people started e-mailing me, I didn't know what to do. I asked Congressman Weiner. He asked me to lie about our communication.

I put out a three sentence communication that he told me to say. My statement to the press said "I haven't met Rep. Weiner. I follow him on twitter because I support him and what he stands for. I have been hounded by his political opponents but that hasn't changed my view of him and what he fights for." I didn't want to say anything further. I refused to lie so I went silent and went into hiding. Part of the reason I went silent was that he was someone I respected politically and I never thought what happened after that would happen.

However, things kept getting worse and he and I kept communicating about what I should do. Once it got to a point that he lied on national television, then I knew that anything I said after that would have to be either a lie or an admission. I didn't want to do either.

On June 2nd he called me and he told me what to say and do and how to deal with the mounting pressure from the press and how to handle it. He told me if neither of us said anything over the weekend the story would calm down and die. Therefore, I did what he told me to do. I stayed in the house, avoided cameras and photographers and hoped the scandal would die on Monday, but it did not. After all the speculation in the press, I felt that if I started talking that it would not be right.

I had already been having extremely bad lupus flair and the stress from this just made it worsen. All that I could do was get out of town. I knew I couldn't lie for him, but I couldn't be the one who kicked him under the bus. Finally, after realizing that I could no longer go through this nightmare and after receiving threats from an individual who threatened to release a statement from me which I did not authorize I contacted Ms. Allred. She helped me to understand my options and now I feel that I have the support that I need to finally speak out to tell the truth and that is what I have done today. It might never have turned into this if he had told the truth, but he kept lying. If he lied about this, I can't have much faith in him about anything else."

I also called on him to resign. The next day he did. I was glad that he resigned. I think that he made the wisest decision for himself, for his family, for everyone else drawn into this scandal and for the Democratic Party. I wished him the best and hoped that the treatment that he would receive would help him to control his impulses and make better judgments in the future. However, I have no idea if his treatment has been effective.

Even if his treatment has been effective, I do not think Anthony Weiner should run for Mayor of New York City because even now, nearly two years after this story broke, there are still details relating to other women that have not been exposed. Each time Anthony Weiner deflects or obfuscates these details, my life and perhaps the lives of other women are made more difficult by the increased attention from the media. Every new headline and news story about him reminds reporters and bloggers that we exist, and the cycle starts all over. There will be a new flair up of jokes, inaccurate statements and hurtful remarks.

At this point, I would just like to go on with my life and career in business without having to think about Anthony Weiner. I think that city of New York can do better than having a Mayor that is the butt of jokes and has been involved in scandal. Thank you.

Additional reporting by Jill Colvin.

Ola Alabi (Photo: Facebook)

It was a long time coming, but former district leader and assembly candidate Ola Alabi officially threw her hat into the ring for outgoing Councilwoman Tish James' Fort Greene-based district.

"I'm pleased to inform you that after careful thought and consideration, it's official - I am a candidate for the New York City Council - 35th District," Ms. Alabi wrote in an email, which you can view in full below, earlier today."I want to continue to advocate for and improve the quality of life in our community and ensure PROGRESS for ALL by electing Leadership with a Proven Track Record and that you Can Trust."

Ms. Alabi, whose entry into the race is not a surprise as she's been fund-raising for months, joins a crowded race that includes local museum head Laurie Cumbo, activist Jelani Mashariki and Ede Fox, the former chief of staff to Councilman Jumaane Williams.

Thus far, Ms. Cumbo has scooped up the biggest labor endorsements, such as the Working Families Party, Hotel Trades Council and--just today--the United Federation of Teachers. For her part, Ms. Alabi has grabbed a couple unions herself.

Ms. James, who is not term-limited, is vacating her seat to campaign citywide for public advocate.

View Ms. Alabi's full email below:

I'm pleased to inform you that after careful thought and consideration, it's official - I am a candidate for the New York City Council - 35th District. Over the past several months, I've spent my time listening to the needs, concerns and challenges of so many in our community. My campaign is about ideas and issues that are important to all of us. The next City Council must be strong on education, affordable housing, seniors, healthcare, the environment, transportation, small businesses, and economic and social justice.

That's why I'm running. As a life-long resident of the 35th Council District who is dedicated to public service, I want to continue to advocate for and improve the quality of life in our community and ensure PROGRESS for ALL by electing Leadership with a Proven Track Record and that you Can Trust. There are many in our community in search of good schools, an affordable and safe place to live, employment that will provide a living wage, access to a quality healthcare and transportation system, infrastructure investment and so much more.

Thus far, my campaign has already been endorsed by several unions, clergy and community leaders and there's more to come! While I'm proud of my support, for me - it's not necessarily about endorsements, but rather winning over the hearts and minds of those I wish to serve. In the weeks to come, you will hear more about the campaign. Please join me as I take this next leap of faith!

The Daily News' "What If."

When former Congressman Anthony Weiner officially launched his mayoral bid yesterday, he took the unprecedented step of releasing an announcement video in the dark of night and only granting phone interviews with the media throughout the day. Some strongly speculated the strategy was designed to dampen the pun-filled tabloid reactions by entering the race after their print deadlines. If so, the plan worked--mostly.

Mr. Weiner was indeed kept off the front pages yesterday and today, but both the New York Post and Daily News managed to slip in some loud sideswipes. The News, in particular, seemed annoyed. On page 12, an insert read, “Here's one for his scrapbook. Weiner's midnight declaration prevented him from getting on the front page. Now for a 'what if' ..."

What followed is the image above: "HE'S GOT SOME BALLS" with a photo of a shirtless Mr. Weiner. Their story on his press strategy was further entitled, "SHY WEINER Shrivels up, spends campaign day one at home."

During his campaign stop in Harlem this morning, Mr. Weiner was shown the faux cover by a reporter. Asked how he responds to waking up to headlines like this, Mr. Weiner expressed disappointment. “Actually, they did not put that on their front page, did they?" he asked, changing his tone. “Did they?”

The Post's spread.

The tabloid also ran an item entitled, "Anthony getting his chain yanked." The lead quote was Independence Party candidate Adolfo Carrión chuckling, “If he can penetrate the field, I’ll be ready for him in November.”

And although Ms. Peyser called on Mr. Weiner to "abandon your delusional hopes of becoming mayor," the Post's editorial page actually gave him props for having a substantive campaign willing to take on the tough issues.

No such luck from the News, however, which put a policy-oriented op-ed from Mr. Weiner next to an editorial mocking "The nerve of perv."

Additional reporting by Jill Colvin.

Jim Gennaro. (Photo: Getty)

Queens Councilman James Gennaro is not rolling out the welcome mat for Anthony Weiner's mayoral bid.

Indeed, Mr. Gennaro released a lengthy, 824-word statement slamming Mr. Weiner. In paragraph after paragraph, Mr. Gennaro brought up Mr. Weiner's infamous Twitter scandal that led to his downfall two years ago, arguing the former congressman's poor handling of the affair disqualified him from being anything but a distraction.

"I believe I have a common sense, practical perspective on what I consider to be the minimum qualifications to be the mayor of our city," Mr. Gennaro wrote. "And, I believe that Mr. Weiner possesses none of these qualifications."

It should be noted that Mr. Gennaro is an ally of one of Mr. Weiner's new opponents in the Democratic primary, Council Speaker Christine Quinn. A spokeswoman for Mr. Weiner did not immediately respond to the attack.

View Mr. Gennaro's entire statement below:

I’ve been privileged to serve in various capacities in city government, and have served this city for more than 30 years. For most of that time, I have worked with mayors and with the top leadership in city government on both sides of City Hall and with leaders in the business, not-for-profit and labor sectors to make my modest contribution to the governance of our great city.

As a three-term Council Member, I have authored and passed more than 30 bills, and I have also taught several different courses about New York City government at Queens College.

And although I certainly don’t presume to possess the leadership skills to be the mayor, I do believe that as a student of city government, as a teacher of city government, and — most important — as a leader in city government, I believe I have a common sense, practical perspective on what I consider to be the minimum qualifications to be the mayor of our city.

And, I believe that Mr. Weiner possesses none of these qualifications. Worse, I believe Mr. Weiner’s candidacy will be nothing more than a most unfortunate distraction in this important mayoral campaign — you may recall that President Obama used this very word, “distraction,” when the president urged him to resign his seat in the House of Representatives and indicated that his continued presence in Congress was, essentially, an impediment to the governance of the country.

But let me get back to the mayoral “minimum qualifications” that I believe Mr. Weiner does not possess.

First, I believe for any mayor to be effective he or she must possess good judgment. In my opinion, his actions in 2011 show terribly poor judgment — to say the least.

Second, in my opinion, it is critical for a mayor to be able to manage a crisis. Mr. Weiner’s management of every aspect of the crisis of his own making in 2011 was, I believe, abysmal – from the first barefaced lie about being “hacked,” to his statement that he was the victim of an “illness,” to the conclusion of the crisis when he couldn’t even orchestrate his own resignation press conference and was heckled and jeered out of the room. In my opinion, his lies and victim mentality in this episode and his overall lack of crisis management skills more than disqualify him for the mayoralty.

I believe his entry in the race would be a terrible distraction from the important issues that should be discussed in this campaign and from candidates who actually are qualified to be mayor.

Worse, I don’t believe Mr. Weiner is even entering the race with the intention of winning and serving. Rather, instead of service to the city being his objective, I believe his entry into the race would, by his own admission in recent interviews I have read, be about him; his redemption; him being able to put the sexting scandal behind him.

And that is not what this mayoral campaign is for — it is not, and should not be, in my opinion, a taxpayer-financed vehicle for Mr. Weiner’s personal redemption. This campaign is about the people and future of the greatest city in the world, and an opportunity for the people to come to know and select who will lead them into the future. It is not a vehicle for him to redeem himself, and to distract the voters from the other candidates — all of whom have served in city government with distinction or have made a positive difference in New York City.

Of course, it is his right to run, a right I would be the first to defend. And he has the right to take $1.5 million in public matching funds for his campaign. And he’s entitled to run and base his campaign on whatever rationale he wants, even if that rationale is nothing more than the latest manifestation of the same self-absorbed, self-indulgent behavior that got him into trouble in the first place.

So, yes, he has the absolute right to run, to be a distraction to the voters, and turn this mayoral campaign into his own little sideshow, to the delight of the monologue-writers for all of the late night talk-shows. I am making this statement today to urge him to abandon this campaign, and to urge others to try to convince him to abandon this campaign.

I will close by invoking once again President Obama’s sentiments from 2011 — that Mr. Weiner had become a distraction to such an extent that his presence in Congress was an impediment to the governance of the country. Nothing has changed since 2011, other than Mr. Weiner’s recent indication that if the media were to look, they would likely find more women whom had received inappropriate communications and images from him. More distractions. Therefore, I believe Mr. Weiner’s distracting presence in this mayoral campaign would not only impede but actually harm the process of electing our next mayor. In my opinion, the people deserve better.

Anthony Weiner talking to Charlie in his announcement video. (YouTube)

In Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign announcement video, released early this morning, the former congressman visits a number of locations, including his childhood home in Park Slope, his current Park Avenue South residence and two small businesses in the Midwood section of his old congressional district.

"If you're trying to run a business on a neighborhood shopping strip like this one, you're drowning in regulations that nickle and dime you to death," Mr. Weiner says as he stands on the corner of Kings Highway and East 18th Street in southeastern Brooklyn. "The very people who put everything they had into this city are getting priced right out of it."

Politicker visited the two businesses in the video to see if Mr. Weiner left an impression after talking to the owners.

"I don't know," the woman behind the counter of Vesuvius Pizzeria--who identified herself as the owner's wife--said of the situation. "He came here, they were eating actually. I think he's trying to be a mayor or something."

We asked if Mr. Weiner had a prior relationship with her husband before showing up with television cameras.

"Not really," she answered. "First time we've seen him."

Charlie, the owner of Twenty/Twenty Optical next door, was left with a more memorable impression, however. He said Mr. Weiner was simply in the neighborhood last week and dropped by.

"I knew him from the past. I thought he was a good congressman," he said. "Told him about the Verrazano Bridge [toll]--it's too high. We discussed how that's very political and difficult to deal with, but I said. 'I don't care about any of that, you got to lower it.'"

We asked him if Mr. Weiner had earned his vote.

"I haven't decided yet," he replied. "Good chance. Good possibility. I think he's a real kind of guy. I think he's sincere and I don't see anyone else better! Somebody's better's got to come along. He's a Brooklyn guy; he grew up in the hood and I like that."

He expressed surprise when we told him he was featured in Mr. Weiner's mayoral announcement video today.

Anthony Weiner. (Photo: Getty)

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who announced his highly-anticipated mayoral campaign in the wee hours of the morning today, has not managed to make up much ground in public polling since he floated his name a month ago. Indeed, his percentage in the Democratic primary--15 percent--is the exact same in today's Quinnipiac poll as the firm's April 19 survey.

According to new numbers out this morning, 49 percent of the electorate thinks Mr. Weiner should not run for mayor while just 38 percent say he should. Female voters in particular reacted with negativity at Mr. Weiner's return--52 percent said he shouldn't pursue his Gracie Mansion ambitions. This is despite Mr. Weiner's flurry of emotional television interviews seeking to soften his image in the aftermath of infamous two-year-old Twitter scandal.

“Should Weiner run? More, especially women, say no,” Maurice Carroll, the pollster's director, noted in a statement. “Weiner has been at 15 percent two polls in a row. Can he get to 16 percent?”

Overall, Mr. Weiner remains in second place, behind Council Speaker Christine Quinn, whose standing continues to slip. While several months ago Ms. Quinn was approaching the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off election, today she stands at just 25 percent. Two other candidates, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and 2009 nominee Bill Thompson, are tied with 10 percent apiece, and Comptroller John Liu is in fifth place with 6 percent.

“With former Congressman Anthony Weiner seeking the Democratic nod, it still looks like Council Speaker Christine Quinn against the guys,” Mr. Carroll said. “But where she once was brushing up against the magic 40 percent number that could get her past a run-off, the wear and tear of the campaign, and possibly the addition of Weiner, are taking a toll on the front-runner."

He added, “This poll says there’s a run-off. It just doesn’t say who’s in the runoff.”

View the full results below:

Art by Brian Taylor

The week before Vito Lopez resigned, the state ethics commission released a scathing 68-page report that detailed a lurid pattern of abuse in his district office.

According to the allegations, the former assemblyman once lamented the existence of statutory rape laws in the presence of a 14-year-old intern. Mr. Lopez demanded massages from female staffers, including one who cried and expressed her discomfort as a former rape victim. At a bar one evening, he grabbed an employee’s hands from across the table. When she tried to pull away, he tightened his grip. When she began to cry, Mr. Lopez said he’d release her only after she counted to 60. When she did, he stared at her for the full minute.

After resigning from his Assembly seat on Monday morning, Mr. Lopez is said to be contemplating a seemingly unfathomable second act: running for City Council. Given the accusations against him, what’s more surprising is that even his detractors acknowledge that Mr. Lopez actually has a viable path to victory.

The key to his support is a career of aggressive local advocacy that goes back four decades. As an ambitious young politician, Mr. Lopez founded a far-reaching social service network that relied on public funding and over time, ushered in significant neighborhood improvements to Bushwick, a section of Brooklyn once plagued by violence, arson and riots. Despite the unsavory headlines, Mr. Lopez is still held in high regard among the beneficiaries of his efforts. “I don’t believe that’s true,” Gloria Bonilla, 61, said of the allegations as she left a red-bricked Melrose Avenue building Mr. Lopez helped fund. “I don’t care what anyone says.”

“Who knows if it was just someone making up lies?” asked another building resident who declined to give her name. “I give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“He’s giving low-income families the opportunity to have beautiful apartments in Brooklyn,” she added, gesturing to the buildings she’s lived in for the past three years, which Mr. Lopez helped create.

"Thank You Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez" (Photo: Colin Campbell)

The sunny buildings, with their bright blue and cream accents, stand out in the working-class, largely Latino neighborhood. A sign above one entrance reads “Thank You Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez.” Meanwhile, at a nearby intersection, the three other corners are empty lots, secured with graffiti-covered corrugated metal walls, barbed wire and padlocks.

Manuel Sanchez, 45, born in the Dominican Republic, has lived in the complex for two years. Despite limited English, his eyes lit up when he heard Mr. Lopez’s name.

“This building, this whole block, he did it,” Mr. Sanchez said. He said he’d heard about the allegations (“something about secretaries”), but has voted for Mr. Lopez numerous times and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again.

In a city where most New Yorkers are hard-pressed to name their local assemblyman, how did Mr. Lopez become a household name in his district? Fresh out of Yeshiva University with a degree in social work, in 1973 the Bensonhurst-born Mr. Lopez founded the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council to deliver sorely needed services. In 1984, a seat opened up in the State Assembly, and Mr. Lopez’s connections in the community enabled him to seize it.

By the time Clarence Norman, then the head of Kings County Democratic Party, was convicted of corruption in 2005, Mr. Lopez had enough support to replace him. As head of the county organization, he could reward allies with judgeships and electoral support—and threaten foes with primary challenges. That influence, combined with his perch on the Assembly’s housing committee, allowed Mr. Lopez to funnel millions of dollars into Ridgewood Bushwick, which in turn provided him with name recognition, supporters and volunteers, both in his own district and neighboring ones.

“Vito created a new model of a contemporary political machine,” Lincoln Restler, a northern Brooklyn Democratic activist and Vito antagonist, explained in an interview. “Gone are the days of widespread patronage in city government that district leaders and county government could deliver to their constituents. Vito created a nonprofit as a vehicle for delivering services to his political loyalists.”

Rather than the outright graft of the Boss Tweed era, nonprofits provide a more above-board mechanism for moving taxpayer dollars around. Mr. Lopez’s organization grew into a sprawling social services empire providing housing, health care, youth activities and senior centers to Bushwick, Williamsburg, Ridgewood and surrounding areas, while employing some 2,000 people. They included Mr. Lopez’s girlfriend, Angela Battaglia, who reportedly made $352,000 as Ridgewood Bushwick’s housing director in 2011. Up until recently, Mr. Lopez’s campaign treasurer was the nonprofit’s executive director.

“He has been involved in delivering services and doling out favors for a very long time to the people who live in this district,” Mr. Restler said. “There are more abuelitas—more grandmothers—who have had Vito sit at their dining room table in this district than you would believe. Accordingly, a remarkable percentage of the people in this district and the surrounding areas have been unwilling to believe that this sexual misconduct is true.”

If Mr. Lopez runs for City Council, his main opponent will be Antonio Reynoso, a former chief of staff to term-limited Councilwoman Diana Reyna--whose district he is now vying to represent. Mr. Reynoso, an energetic 30-year-old who biked over to a Williamsburg cafe to discuss the race last Friday, is a strong contrast to the 71-year-old Mr. Lopez, whose hulking frame can fill up a room. Where Mr. Lopez is quick to tout his extensive legislative record, Mr. Reynoso questioned whether someone so reviled could accomplish anything more when stripped of influence outside of the footprint of Ridgewood Bushwick.

“Vito is extremely defiant—egomaniacal,” Mr. Reynoso said, suggesting the allegations only make Mr. Lopez more likely to run. “Every single day he has to prove something to the world. Who he harms along that path to self-fulfillment is insignificant to him … I don’t want my community to be left with a representative who’s not going to be able to help them.”

Mr. Reynoso said the scandal’s most salacious details have yet to permeate the community, and he admitted that Mr. Lopez’s most passionate supporters may not be swayed, but the appearance of the former assemblyman’s mug on the front page of the city’s tabloids has had an effect. “People know, they just don’t know how bad it is,” Mr. Reynoso said. “They know it’s in regards to sexual harassment, they just don’t know the details.”

It’s still unclear whether Mr. Lopez, who has not been criminally charged despite the sordid pile of evidence against him, will ultimately pursue a comeback campaign. Although he firmly stated his intention to run last week, he later indicated that the decision would be informed by his health as he receives treatments for cancer.

Should Mr. Lopez make the electoral leap, he can expect plenty of headwinds from the city’s political establishment. Many of Mr. Lopez’s former political allies have called on him to stand down, while almost every mayoral candidate and labor union has publicly thrown endorsements at Mr. Reynoso, who has his own base of support. For the first time, Mr. Lopez would be running effectively on his own.

What’s more, Bushwick and Williamsburg are less hardscrabble than they were when Mr. Lopez first arrived four decades ago. The western ends of Ms. Reyna’s district have been subjected to waves of gentrification, and the electorate has accordingly transformed.

“This gentrifying community, there is a voting bloc to it,” Mr. Reynoso said. “They tend to be more progressive and folks who really know what Vito is doing. They do read the Post and the Daily News.”

Additional reporting by Jill Colvin

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. (Photo: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall holds one of the most prominent elected offices in Queens. But the 83-year-old lawmaker was apparently unaware until yesterday that John Liu was running for mayor.

During the Queens Democratic Party's endorsement event Monday, a reporter for a Chinese-language newspaper asked Ms. Marshall if she was disappointed the county hadn't backed Mr. Liu, who lives in the borough and used to represent it on the City Council. (They backed City Council Speaker Christine Quinn instead.)

According to a source who witnessed the conversation, an article in The China Press and an interview with the reporter who interviewed the borough president, Ms. Marshall appeared confused by the question.

Well, he's facing opposition in his re-election campaign for comptroller, Ms. Marshall reportedly answered. City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, who was standing near Ms. Marshall, leaned over to explain to her that Mr. Liu is actually running for mayor--prompting surprise.

Oh, I like him, I don't know why we didn't endorse him, then, Ms. Marshall reportedly replied.

Asked about the exchange on Tuesday, Dan Andrews, Ms. Marshall's spokesman, said the borough president was well aware of Mr. Liu's candidacy and didn't recall the conversation.

“She may have misspoken, thinking he is currently the comptroller," Mr. Andrews said. “I think that’s all it is.”

Ms. Marshall, who was elected in 2001 after serving in the City Council and the New York State Assembly, has just one year left in her final term. But some observers have raised questions about her muted activity. Colleagues described Ms. Marshall as increasingly absent-minded, sometimes repeating herself and forgetting things.

“It’s been getting worse over time,” observed one Queens Democratic source, who said this fall's election can't come soon enough. “I think she’s winding down a long political career and is less engaged in the job than she used to be," said another.

Others were less forgiving. "Nothing against Helen personally, but for several years she's been a couple miles past out to lunch," a Queens insider quipped. "On a good day."

The Daily News reported in April that Ms. Marshall, who gets paid $160,000 a year, has been increasing absent from her office and took off more than 40 days in 2012. She was reportedly off duty for much of the summer, in addition to numerous Mondays and Fridays throughout the year. According to the New York Post, she spends much of her time in the Hamptons and caring for her ailing husband.

Mr. Andrews dismissed the concerns as well as Ms. Marshall's absences.

“I would say that she’s [nearly] 84 years old," he said, noting that she only has another seven months left until her final term is up. "It’s another seven months and she’s doing the job .... I think what has to be done, she does."

(Photo: Newseum)

Headline of the Day: "Sal: Squeeze Weiner for cost of election."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's aide forwarded New York Post columnist Fred Dicker's email to other reporters: “Monday, Vlasto forwarded that exchange to ten reporters with the subject 'off the record' and wrote, 'Just to clean of conscience, I never denied she was leaving. I, in fact, confirmed it.' 'Vlasto, in his grammatically challenged blast to other journalists this morning, created a totally false straw man by saying he ‘never denied’ Glazer was leaving,' Dicker told POLITICO. 'Well, I never wrote that Vlasto did deny it, just that he handed my story to someone else.'”

This was written before the devastating tornado hit Oklahoma, so Rep. Anthony Weiner's plan to fill the news cycle may have been modified since, but Politico reports Mr. Weiner "is set to declare his candidacy by video this week, likely on Tuesday or Wednesday." Politicker heard the Wednesday date from several sources as well but the information was second-hand.

Comptroller John Liu scored a nice endorsement from CWA Local 1180. "The rich and powerful in our city fear him because they can’t handle the truth," union president Arthur Cheliotes said. "By speaking truth to power, he has become the target of a smear campaign that is long on repetitive rhetoric and innuendo but short on the facts."

On Road to City Hall last night, Bill Thompson was asked if he had any hesitation in trumpeting the support of Rep. Greg Meeks, who has been the target of various investigations. “No, I think I have full faith in Congressman Meeks," Mr. Thompson replied. "I think he's been an excellent leader out in Queens ... I had no second thoughts, no hesitation."

The tabloid war against Speaker Shelly Silver continued this morning. The Daily News editorialized that his supporters were "all complicit in sneering at the law" and columnist Bill Hammond penned a critical column in the publication as well. The Post blasted Mr. Cuomo, whose governorship "will be held hostage by Shelly’s corruption."

And John Catsimatidis has a new mailer out where he says he could have been doing a better job at the MTA than his Republican rival, Joe Lhota. “Years of mismanagement is being balanced on the back of Staten Islanders," the ad reads. "John has the business acumen to restore the MTA to fiscal soundness."