POLITICS
Christine Quinn Says She Will Not Run for Mayor
Former City Council speaker was considering a potential campaign in 2021
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Out lesbian former City Council
Speaker Christine Quinn won’t be
making a last-minute bid to become
the next mayor of New York City.
Quinn announced February 22 that she would
not seek the highest offi ce in New York City this
year, opting instead to continue focusing on “fi ghting
for homeless families” as CEO of Women in
Need (WIN), a nonprofi t focused on lifting homeless
women in the city out of poverty.
The former City Council speaker, who served
between 2006 and 2013 and was the fi rst out
LGBTQ person to hold the offi ce, did not give any
hint as to who she would support in the 2021
race for mayor — which has more than two dozen
candidates seeking to succeed Bill de Blasio.
But she expressed disappointment that
“homelessness has barely registered” as a major
topic in the campaign — and took a swipe at
Mayor Bill de Blasio for not following through
on his promises to alleviate homelessness.
“This is completely unacceptable and disrespectful
to the thousands of New Yorkers in the
REUTERS/ERIC THAYER
Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
shelter system,” Quinn said in a statement. “I intend
to use my platform as a leader in homeless
advocacy, and experience both inside and outside
of government, to hold the fi eld of candidates running
for mayor accountable and ensure that, unlike
Bill de Blasio, the next mayor actually makes
good on their promises to homeless families.”
Quinn says she plans to engage with the candidates
and urge them to speak publicly about
their plans to “create more affordable housing,
increase the value of rental vouchers, support
students in shelter and provide services for families
in shelter to access good-paying jobs.”
The former speaker also said the candidates
must “reject racist and classist fear-mongering
and treat all New Yorkers with respect and compassion”
in order to resolve “the structural failures”
that the pandemic exposed and forced “so
many families into shelter.”
Quinn had previously run for mayor in 2013
and was, at one point, one of the front-runners
in the race to succeed then-Mayor Mike
Bloomberg. However, Quinn came under fi re
from her opponents in the Democratic primary
for her previous support of Bloomberg and the
alteration of the term-limit law in 2008, which
permitted Bloomberg and other citywide offi -
cials to seek a third term in offi ce.
Quinn wound up fi nishing third to de Blasio
and former City Comptroller Bill Thompson.
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