Kirsten John Foy (Photo: Facebook)

Kirsten John Foy, the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, has left that post in what several sources said was in anticipation for an upcoming campaign for term-limited Councilman Al Vann's seat in 2013.

Mr. Foy rose to political prominence after his seemingly unwarranted arrest -- along with Councilman Jumaane Williams -- during the West Indian Day parade last year.  Using that experience as an amplifier, he's become a voice for reforming NYPD policies, especially stop-and-frisk, giving televised interviews and attending rallies on the topic, which the former aide to Rev. Al Sharpton has been active in for more than a decade.

He has been openly speculating about running for Mr. Vann's seat for some time, but has declined to give definite answers as to his intentions, making this is the clearest sign yet of his political ambitions, as Mr. de Blasio doesn't let his aides openly campaign for office. Mark Murphy and Reshma Saujani, campaigning for Congress and public advocate respectively, both left Mr. de Blasio's office earlier this year for that very reason.

But in an interview last night, Mr. Foy told The Politicker he's completely focused on his new job: advising the Amalgamated Transit Union in their bus driver contract negotiations with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration.

"I'm excited," he said. "Once again, we see another example where working families are under attack. Now we have another potential obstruction of an entire profession with the new contract coming out of the mayor's office."

"My head right now is purely focused on protecting this industry and making sure these professional jobs are not destroyed by this random and arbitrary contract proposal," he said when we asked for an update on the status of his potential 2013 campaign. "I really care about these workers, who have dedicated their lives to our children, our safety and giving reliable rides to school."

The field for Mr. Vann's district is far from settled, but District Leader Robert Cornegy Jr., who ran for the Bed-Stuy-based district in 2009, is thought to be interested. Pastor Robert Waterman also has a 2013 account registered for a run and has been raising money, but has been relatively quiet on the publicity front. Mark Winson Griffith, who ran a strong campaign for the seat himself in 2009, withdrew his candidacy a couple months ago.

Regardless, with Mr. Vann's storied legacy in Bed-Stuy politics, his replacement will have big shoes to fill.

Councilman Robert Jackson (Photo: Facebook)

Council Members Al Vann and Robert Jackson, who is chair of the Education Committee, introduced a resolution today asking the State Legislature to limit mayoral control of city schools. The resolution, which comes following growing controversy over recent school closings, calls on the legislature to give community councils approval over school closures and co-locations.

"The process for proposing and approving these significant changes to schools has disenfranchised communities and parents," Mr. Vann said. "Providing a significant role for CECs in the co-location and school closure process will not only ensure that proposals are thoughtful and truly include input from communities and parents, but also will enhance community and parental involvement in our public schools.”

Currently, school closure and co-location proposals are made by the Department of Education and approved by the Panel for Educational Policy, which has never rejected a closure or co-location proposal. Under the Bloomberg Administration, the DOE closed over 100 schools moved more than 700 schools into shared facilities. Last month, the Panel for Educational Policy approved proposals to phase out, close or limit the number of grades in 23 schools and the DOE is calling for the closure of 33 schools at the end of this school year. These moves have led to substantial opposition from parents and politicians.

"The current administration continues to make decisions that adversely impact students and their families,” Mr. Jackson said. "It is well known that the PEP rubber-stamps co-locations and school closings without any consideration of a school community's input."

Mr. Vann echoed the criticism of the PEP and said giving community councils involvement in closures and co-locations would lead to a more thoughtful process.

"Since the PEP is nearly guaranteed to approve every DOE proposal, the quality and thoughtfulness of the proposals have declined and as a result our communities and students suffer. Providing a significant role for CECs in the co-location and school closure process will not only ensure that proposals are thoughtful and truly include input from communities and parents, but also will enhance community and parental involvement in our public schools," Mr. Vann said.

Mayoral control of the city school system was originally established through a 2002 law that was renewed by the legislature in 2009. In 2009, mayoral control was renewed for another six more years. Passage of a Council resolution concerning mayoral control is largely symbolic as any changes to the law must come from the legislature. In late January, Assemblyman Keith Wright appeared at a town hall meeting and said he would propose a bill in Albany to end mayoral control. Mr. Jackson was also at that meeting and said he would introduce a Council resolution in support of the proposal.

Critics of mayoral control argue the closures and co-locations tend to favor charter schools and result in the unnecessary shutdown of local schools. Last month, Department of Education Chancellor Dennis Walcott defended mayoral control to The Politicker and said it has led to "tremendous" improvement for students in the past decade.

Mark Winston Griffith (Photo: Facebook)

Mark Winston Griffith, who ran for City Council in 2009, just registered a committee to run again in 2013, a strong step forward to making an eventual run for the seat.  The incumbent Mr. Griffith challenged last cycle, Councilman Al Vann, is term-limited out, creating an open seat and a prime opportunity for local aspiring candidates.

Currently Mr. Griffith is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism and is particularly passionate about bringing more progressive leadership to Central Brooklyn. "I don’t think Central Brooklyn has been adequately represented in progressive campaigns and addressing some of the deepest needs in our neighborhoods," he said, citing the Living Wage Bill and education issues in particular.

The prospective candidate also sounds eager to shift the broader City Council's relationship with whoever New York City's next Mayor will be in 2013. "I think we need to build a progressive force within the City Council that has the ability to go toe-to-toe with the Mayor," he said while explaining his vision for the office. "Really try to build a progressive agenda."

The focus on enabling the City Council to more effectively check the Mayor is especially notable in light of the backroom politics surrounding who the next Speaker will be. With so many term-limited Council Members in 2013 -- thanks to a temporary term limits extension in 2009 -- there will be a flood of new members and it's unknown whether the next majority coalition will favor a more establishment-oriented Speaker or one that more aggressively pushes progressive issues like the Living Wage Bill.

Open City Council seats often draw a large number of candidates, and Councilman Vann's seat, which drew a large number of challengers when the incumbent himself was running in 2009, looks to be no exception.

Already, a number of other potential contenders have emerged. Pastor Robert Waterman has a 2013 campaign account open for the district, but has not raised any money since 2009. District Leader Robert Cornegy Jr., who also ran in 2009, is expected by some Brooklyn insiders to make another effort in 2013 as well. While Kirsten John Foy, an aide to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said that he's considering taking the plunge too.