Rep. Anthony Weiner is officially dropping out of the race for mayor, a move he hinted at a couple of months ago when he announced plans to suspend his campaign. The move leaves Comptroller William Thompson in the unenviable position of having to go head to head with Michael Bloomberg (and his $80 million war chest) this fall. It also means the election will likely turn out to be a lot less entertaining. "Mr. Weiner is among the few political figures in the city who seem to rattle the supremely confident Mr. Bloomberg, and appears almost to relish antagonizing the mayor. His exit, in some ways, is a victory for Bloomberg campaign aides, who sought to knock him out of the race." [City Hall News, NYT]

Bloomberg Spends $3 Million on TV Ads in Mayoral Race [NYT]
Related: Mayor Mike's New Spanish Language Phrasebook [Cityfile]

Joel Klein may be preparing to run for mayor, says Azi Paybarah of the Observer. It seems the Schools Chancellor "has been talking to political consultants who have laid out a road map for a potential mayoral candidacy." [NYO]

Dick Parsons says he has no plans to run for mayor and that Mike Bloomberg should serve another four years. We believe it! If he were gearing up to campaign, would Parsons2009.com really still be available? [NYM]

Going after the student loan industry seems to be too darn frustratingly low-profile for Andrew Cuomo, who's contemplating throwing his hat into New York City's 2009 mayoral election, the Sun says today. Though the Democratic field is already a standing-room-only crowd, ambitious Andy would have a leg up over his rivals in that he has much broader name recognition and a much meatier resume. (Plus, he hasn't been implicated in any elaborate slush-fund scandals, which doesn't hurt.) Previously, the advancement-minded Cuomo had been eyeing the Governor's mansion and Hillary's Senate seat, but David Paterson increasingly looks like he'll seek reelection in 2010 and Hillary decreasingly looks like she stands a shot in hell at being Obama's VP. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time a Cuomo has to tried rule the city: Andy's dad Mario ran a losing primary race against Ed Koch in 1977. We figure the analogue to Koch in this election would be Christine Quinn since she'd be Cuomo's strongest competitor, not because, uh, any other similarities between the two.

Suppose you're a relatively anonymous City Council member with mayoral ambitions—how to distinguish yourself from all the higher-profile Democrats jockeying for the job? Champion the winningly populist cause of banning foie gras! Tony Avella of Queens, apparently unaware that this movement is so 2006 and that even the city of Chicago recently lifted its much-ballyhooed goose liver ban, is rallying behind legislation that would prohibit the force-feeding of fowl to fatten them. We're sure this issue is priority No. 1 for his constituents Whitestone and Bayside, those hotbeds of animal-rights activism. (Although they would probably be more amenable to Avella's proposal than Manhattanites, who might actually eat the stuff.) We're guessing, though, that means Avella can perish the thought of an endorsement by Daniel Boulud.