Staying Close to Carolyn Maloney

So there may be a little less at stake now for the officials girding for the opportunity to succeed Upper East Side-based Representative Carolyn Maloney. That unofficial mini-contest, of course, was contingent on Hillary Clinton having a chance of becoming president, and on Maloney having a chance of taking Clinton's place in the Senate.

But at least one of the congresswoman's would-be heirs is going to be ready whenever the possibility does arise of moving up in Maloney World.

In an e-mail exchange between Assemblyman Jonathan Bing and Democratic operative Allan Roskoff, which was forwarded to me earlier this week by a reader who wasn't part of the exchange, Bing wrote that he was going to show up and speak at a particular meeting of a political club “because Maloney is speaking there at the same time and I like to appear in as many places as possible as her right hand guy.”

It's a strategy that makes sense, and which has doubtless occurred to local officials other than Bing, given Maloney's track record of helping allies get elected.

If and when the 15-year incumbent decides to move on, other possible candidates include State Senator Liz Krueger, City Council members Dan Garodnick and Jessica Lappin (a former adviser to ex-Maloney staffer Gifford Miller) and, assuming the vacancy doesn't come up anytime too soon, freshly elected Assemblyman (and former Maloney aide) Micah Kellner.