The race for Borough President is on—officially—for Julie Menin.
The former Community Board 1 chairwoman, long expected to run for the office being vacated by Scott Stringer, announced her candidacy on Wednesday, Dec. 5, touting a list of more than 200 endorsements from across the city.
"I’m running for BP because I believe we must make Manhattan’s growth work for all of us," Menin said via Twitter during her campaign launch on the steps of City Hall.
Although she only officially launched her campaign this week, Menin has been fundraising for a 2013 campaign since late 2011. By July (the most recent campaign finance filing deadline) she had raised close to $1 million for her campaign—far more than her expected opponents during the same time period.
The amount that candidates for Borough President can spend on a primary is capped at around $1.4 million, which means that with matching city funds, Menin has already raised all the cash she needs for the primary.
Termed-out Harlem Councilman Robert Jackson, who is also running for Borough President, had raised $141,284 by July, and unannounced candidate Jessica Lappin, an Upper East Side Councilwoman, had raised $534,487.
Menin, who has been by turns a regulatory attorney, FiDi restaurant owner, founder of the post-Sept. 11 organization Wall Street Rising, and TV talk show host, is running on her record as chair of CB1 from 2005 to 2012, including her gadfly-like role on the board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., her efforts to move the Sept. 11 terrorism trials from the Civic Center, and her work to help resolve quality of life issues between Occupy Wall Street protesters and residents last fall. Menin's campaign video also touts her role last month in spearheading volunteer efforts post-Sandy.