Councilman Jimmy Vacca said he is no longer considering a run for the borough presidency – no matter if Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr. joins the Obama administration or not.
Reports have been circulating that Carrion has been appointed to a post in Obama’s administration, but as of press time, no official announcement has been forthcoming.
Nevertheless, Vacca said he feels that, especially after his recent win against Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to create over 30 senior mega-centers city wide, he belongs in the Council right now – though he has not ruled out a run at a later date.
“After many discussions with family, friends and staff, I have decided that I will not be a candidate for borough president should the position open up later this month,” Vacca said. “In the end, I made a decision that I would be able to accomplish more for my community by building on my service in the City Council than by starting anew at Borough Hall.”
Vacca said he felt he could build on his record in the Council and continue to serve as he has done for all of his life, first as a teenager organizing a his fellow students to protest cuts in bus service, then as a chairman and a district manager of Community Board 10 for 26 years, and finally in the Council.
“Over the past three years, I have been proud to have helped save senior centers from closure and pass legislation to address elder abuse and rein in overdevelopment,” Vacca said. “None of this would have been possible had I not been a member of the Council, and I expect to play an even greater role at City Hall in the years ahead.”
Vacca’s defeat of the Department for the Aging’s Request for Proposals (RFP) to build mega-sized senior centers saved many small, community based senior-centers from closing. His most current fight is in protest of the nighttime closure of Ladder Company 53 on City Island. Vacca held a fundraiser for the 2009 campaign on Thursday, January 8 at Villa Barone Manor.
“I am grateful to those who offered me advice over the past months, and I am humbled by those who urged me to run,” Vacca said. “Of course, given my age, I expect plenty of other opportunities to pop up down the road.”
