With the Bloomberg mayoralty winding down, City Hall insiders have noticed that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn seems suddenly ready for prime time. Several months ago, according to a Dem operative, Quinn interviewed a Washington consultancy on how to take her public speaking to the next level. Ultimately, she didn’t hire that firm, but since then, insiders have observed slicker delivery from the podium. No ums. No uh-uhs. Direct eye contact. “You can tell she’s been professionally attended to,” says one follower of Quinn since her days as a tenant organizer. Another Dem operative explains, “She needs to transition from a non-personality in the minor leagues to a 24-hour presence on the networks, and that means looking good all the time.” Be that as it may, Quinn’s rep, Maria Alvarado, says Quinn has never sought professional help: “She has not had any speech lessons.”
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