Rudy Giuliani Namesake Mulls City Council Run

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 10:46 pm | < 1 Minute Read

By Yochonon Donn

Rudy Giuliani, the second cousin and namesake of the former New York City mayor, is being urged to run for the Queens City Council seat currently held by Dan Halloran, a fellow Republican who was indicted two weeks ago in a scheme to sell access to the GOP mayoral primary.

Giuliani, who has a name irresistible for a candidate for office in New York City, is chief of staff to Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Queens). Politicker quoted “multiple sources” that his boss is urging him to run for the adjacent seat.

“If there’s a special election, it’d be hard to pass up,” Politicker quoted a Queens Republican insider. “That’s how he’s framed it to me.”

Halloran, one of only four Republicans in the 51-seat council, faces deep opposition after his arrest made him vulnerable. GOP sources are arguing that Giuliani remains their best chance to keep the seat in party hands.

But Giuliani made it clear that nothing has yet been decided.

“Listen, as far as I’m concerned, there’s still a sitting Councilman,” he told Politicker. Anything else is premature right now. There’s still a councilman.”

The Republicans’ best chance would be if Halloran, who has been stripped of all committee assignments, were to resign or be convicted and a special election called. That would ensure that all candidates would compete without a primary, giving a unified GOP candidate an edge over the crowded field on the Democratic side.

Democrats said to be seeking the seat include Paul Vallone, Austin Shafran, Matthew Silverstein and former state Assemblyman John Duane. Dennis Saffran, a Republican who lost a race for the seat against Democrat Tony Avella in 2001, may also be weighing a bid.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the April 18th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.