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De Blasio Foe Eva Moskowitz to Make Announcement on Her 'Political Plans'

By Jeff Mays | October 7, 2015 6:28pm
 Eva Moskowitz at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival talking about
Eva Moskowitz at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival talking about "The Lottery."
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Dario Cantatore/Getty Images

NEW YORK CITY — Charter school entrepreneur and Mayor Bill de Blasio foil Eva Moskowitz will make an announcement "concerning her political plans" on the steps of City Hall Thursday, according to an email sent Wednesday.

Moskowitz, a former councilwoman, and de Blasio have battled over resources such as space and funding for charter schools since he took office in January 2014.

Moskowitz, founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, has said running for mayor is "an interest," and she is often listed along with Comptroller Scott Stringer and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as potential de Blasio challengers in 2017.

The mayor has said he is running for a second term.

"Come one, come all," de Blasio said recently when asked about potential challengers.

Richard Millett, listed as an administrative assistant, sent the email regarding Moskowitz's announcement. He said no further information was available. City Hall also had no comment.

Jeanne Zaino, a professor of political science at Iona College, said she'd be surprised if Moskowitz announced her candidacy this early.

"The election is a long way away and she would open herself up to attacks," Zaino said.

Instead, Moskowitz could announce that she's dismayed at how de Blasio is handling education or treating charter schools and that she will explore a challenge.

"She could say she's distressed by what's happening with education in this city and that she's going to monitor the situation for the next several months or year before making a decision," Zaino said.

Thousands of Success students, parents and educators attended a rally organized by pro-charter group Families for Excellent Schools Wednesday that accused de Blasio of presiding over a school system that traps black and Latino students in failing schools.

Speaking on 1010WINS, de Blasio disputed that idea, saying he was working to destroy the notion that there are good and bad schools.

"We're bringing up the whole school system," the mayor said. 

And while Moskowitz could be a formidable candidate, she still has a lot of work to do to mount a strong challenge.

"I don't know if she has the name recognition or the organization. Who would her constituents be? It would be a little narrow at this point," Zaino said.

Education is also not the issue where de Blasio is most vulnerable, Zaino said, especially after he fought for and won full-day universal pre-K for every 4-year-old in the city.

"Maybe you could challenge him on crime or the economy or jobs, which is why I have a hard time believing she would use this moment to enter the race," said Zaino. "But her personality is such that she just may do it."