The Choice for Public Advocate Is...

. But as long as the office does exist, it's worth understanding why it does, and who the contestants are.

The office of public advocate has only existed, in current form, since the early 90s, and has seen just two occupants: Mark Green (who's running again this year) and Betsy Gotbaum, who has been the PA since 2001.

In essence, the public advocate performs the following functions:

• Advocates for tenants on a citywide basis
• Issues reports on various aspects of city governance
• Holds the mayor's feet to the fire
• Succeeds the mayor, if the mayor can no longer serve

Point # 3 – The public advocate’s ability to hold the mayor’s feet to the fire – is what most clearly defines the office in the eyes of the public. In the 90s, Mark Green frequently did combat with Mayor Giuliani, much to the delight of the media. On the other hand, Betsy Gotbaum does not view herself as an antagonist, and that has resulted in a less visible office. It hasn’t helped that the mayor and City Council recently slashed the budget of the office by 40 percent, and that Councilman Simcha Felder has proposed eliminating the office.

And yet, a number of well-known candidates are in the mix this year, hoping to become the next public advocate, and perhaps position themselves for a mayoral run, down the line. In alphabetical order, they are:

1) Bill de Blasio: Unlike a couple of his competitors, Councilman de Blasio (Brooklyn - 39th District) does not exude combativeness. But he's been a thorn in the side for the mayor in regards to poverty issues, and was one of the leading opponents of Bloomberg's push to extend term limits. [Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate]

2) Eric Gioia - the Queens councilman (Sunnyside - 26th District) is young and scrappy and along with Senator Chuck Schumer, would be voted Most Likely to Hold a Press Conference on a Sunday. He's raised more than any of his competitors. [Eric Gioia for Public Advocate]

3) Mark Green - the only candidate to have actually been a public advocate, and all too happy to remind you of it. His name recognition and reputation from his days of doing battle with Giuliani (zestfully) have given him the lead in polls, but has lagged in fundraising. [Green for New York]

4) Norman Siegel - the only non-politician of the bunch, Siegel is a public interest lawyer who headed the New York Civil Liberties Union for 15 years. Has been successful at securing media attention for issues such as police abuse and tenant displacement. Says that if he's elected public advocate, would be willing to sue the city. [New Yorkers for Norman Siegel]

Now, go forth and vote.