Here's the invite for the first fundraiser Assemblyman Mike Gianaris is holding to fill the coffers of his city-level campaign committee as he eyes a possible run for Council - not to mention speaker - in 2009.
The event is scheduled for June 9 at the Beekman Pub near City Hall. Tickets start at $250 and run to $2,750 for sponsors (the limit for an individual contribution in a Council race).
(Interesting aside: Note that the invite includes directions regarding whether contributors do business with the city and a link to the CFB's database - a new move made necessary by the pay-to-play restrictions passed by the Council, signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg and now the subject of a federal lawsuit).
Gianaris is a prodigious fundraiser who tapped into a nationwide network of Greek donors in 2006 to bring in some $2 million for an AG run (he dropped out of the race well before the state Democratic convention, but his money-raising capabilities landed his a post as the party's finance chair).
Gianaris has confirmed he is "seriously considering" a run for the Council seat from which Peter Vallone Jr. will be forced by term limits at the end of 2009, but insists he is focused on running for re-election to his Assembly seat this fall.
He has been quietly working behind the scenes to build up support for both his Council campaign and a potential bid for the speaker's post.
There has been speculation that Gianaris would switch seats prior to 2009 with Vallone Jr., who is running for Queens borough president in 2009 but doesn't have support of the county Democratic party (it's expected to back Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer).
Both Vallone and Gianaris have rejected that idea.
Gianaris has more than $2 million on hand in two state-level committees; he can use some of that cash for a city race, although the rules governing the transfer of that money would make doing so very arduous.
