Not Pandering To Queens

We hear that the Mayor -- who's had a lot to say lately about how he doesn't "pander" -- is likely to, er, moderate a long-held position tonight in Queens.

From his campaign days forward, Mike has backed the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel, which is beloved of the city's wonk community but despised in parts of Brooklyn and Queens, like the one where the mayor will spend this evening.

Tonight's town meeting is with the Juniper Park Civic Association in Middle Village, political home of the Mayor's Republican opponent, Tom Ognibene, who apparently plans to heckle him. (Also tonight, the Association is giving its "man of the year" award to Ognibene's right-hand man, Dennis Gallagher.)

And in an amazing coincidence, Bloomberg has apparently just now had a chance of heart on the tunnel and the risk of truck traffic and displacement in Queens. And so, we're told, Mike is going to tell the Middle Villagers what they want to hear.

Gallagher wouldn't speculate on the substance of the mayor's remarks, but he did tell us:

"If the Mayor were to do this, it would be a very good move politically."