Roosevelt Island's City Council Member Jessica Lappin Will Not Seek Public Advocate's Office But Will Run For Re-Election

Image of City Council Member Jessica Lappin From City Hall News

It looks like City Council Member Jessica Lappin, whose district includes Roosevelt Island and much of the east side of Manhattan, has decided not to seek City wide office as the Public Advocate but will instead run for re-election to the 5th Council District seat that she currently holds. According to City Hall News:

Council Member Jessica Lappin will not enter the public advocate race, and instead will be a candidate for re-election to her seat this fall, City Hall has learned. She spent Friday afternoon calling colleagues supporters to tell them the news. A campaign aide confirmed the news.

... Lappin had never formally declared for the race, but began fundraising and staffing up in late November, hoping to capitalize on there being no woman in the race and no elected official from Manhattan in the race.

... As she moved forward with the bid, several candidates had lined up hoping to succeed her in the Council, slowly and carefully beginning their own fundraising and campaigning in the Upper East Side district.

She had been struggling with fundraising, however, amid the recession, which had led many to doubt that she would actually make the race after entering so late in the process....

Politicker NY reports:

“Jessica weighed a number of factors and at the end of the day decided the right decision for her this year was to run for re-election for the city council,” said Mark Guma, the adviser.