Brook-Krasny All But Certain To Run for Recchia’s Council Seat

In an interview following Councilman Lew Fidler’s state Senate campaign kickoff today, Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny did nothing to dispel the strong rumors in Brooklyn political circles that he is all but certain to run for the City Council seat being vacated by the term-limited Domenic Recchia.

While cautioning that he still has to run for re-election in 2012, Brook-Krasny said that with “everything going on in Coney Island” he felt that he could be “more effective” serving as a member of the City Council, rather than in the Assembly.

Asked if he believed he would have Recchia’s support for a run, Brook-Krasny said: “I do think that’s going to happen.”

Notably, Recchia and Brook-Krasny faced off in a 2001 Council race, which was won by Recchia. Brook-Krasny won Assembly election in 2006.

Brook-Krasny, who is thought to be the first Soviet-born elected official in U.S. history, would be the Council’s first Russian-American representative.  He would be the likely prohibitive favorite if he does run, given his status as an elected official, Russian-American base and the likely support of Recchia.

Also following the Fidler campaign kickoff, former Assembly candidate Ari Kagan, who lost an extremely close Assembly election to Brook-Krasny in 2006, told me he’s very interested in running for term-limited Brooklyn Councilman Michael Nelson’s seat.

But Kagan said he would be unlikely to begin raising money or to make an official decision until after the 2012 elections.