NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg offered City Council Speaker Christine Quinn an early wedding gift Wednesday, giving his closest comments yet for an endorsement in the race to succeed him in 2013.
"Chris Quinn is very competent and would be a very good mayor," he told reporters Wednesday, when asked about whether their recent clashes over several pieces of legislation, including two bills that would boost wages in certain city-subsidized buildings, have strained relations between the usually chummy pair.
"I’ve always thought that Chris Quinn has done a very good job as the speaker," he said, stopping short of making a full endorsement. "It’s not for me to take sides — certainly not now — in a race that I don’t even know who’s going to be running."
Quinn is expected to face a tough field of Democratic challengers, including Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, embattled City Comptroller John Liu and publisher Tom Allon.
Quinn has far outpaced her competitors in fundraising, already reaching the maximum contribution limit for the Democratic primary.
She is also set to marry her longtime partner, Kim Catullo, Saturday.
