That Pedro Espada sure is clever.
No, not in the manner of helping his re-united constituents of the Bronx as a State Senator in the next session. Like everything Espada does, this is all about him and damn those that get in his way, even members of his own gang. Today he made it clear that if he doesn't get what he wants in Albany, he'll come back to the Bronx to run for Borough President next year.
From The Daily Politics:
I wonder if Ruben Diaz Sr. is surprised, since the thinking was his son was going to run for the position. I guess Diaz and Espada aren't such good friends in the own gang. Espada though is known for doing what it takes to retain and enhance his power, whether it be by switching parties or joining political gangs to force Malcolm Smith to cede plum positions for those that do not care about the principles (what's left at least) of the Democratic Party.Senator-elect Pedro Espada Jr. said in an interview today that he would "seriously explore the option" of running for the office he has always coveted - Bronx borough president - if its current occupant, Adolfo Carrion, departs, as is widely expected, for a job with the Obama administration, creating the need for a special election to select his replacement.
Assuming Carrion does head to Washington, Espada's said his decision will come down to whether or not he gets a leadership post in the Senate.
"Quite frankly, it all depends on how we end this Senate conference issue," Espada said. "...I'm absolutely not ruling it out. If I end up in a position of leadership, then obviously, that's where I'm going to stay...I like the state Legislature. But if I end up being irrelevant and superfluous and unwanted, you tell me what makes sense. What makes sense is to find a way, at my age, I'm 55 years old, to have a meaningful impact."This shouldn't come as any big surprise to regular readers of DN Bronx Bureau Chief Bob Kappstatter's column, as he noted earlier this week that Espada couldn't be counted out from a possible race for Carrion's seat.
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