A bit more Council news today: Pat Barrientos, who did press for David Weprin, landed a job as chief of staff for City Councilman Mathieu Eugene, of Brooklyn.

"He just quit smoking. Give him a plug and put him on the spot," said a supportive political observer who also noted that among Barrientos' career highlights was the time he walked into Room 9 to hand out press releases alerting reporters to the fact that Weprin was declining to comment about Eliot Spitzer's brewing troubles.

(Weprin, who lost a race for city comptroller, is expected to run for his brother Mark's Assembly seat. Mark vacated the seat in order to run for David's Council seat.)

Eric Kuo, the spokesman for departing City Councilman Simcha Felder, is collecting businessman cards and weighing his options, as I put it.

"I'm waiting for options," he politely corrected me. 

Quinn wants all members to prove, among other things, that they're United States Citizens, and legal residents of the districts they represent.

For the residency requirement, members need to bring in five pieces of evidence.

When such measures were first attempted, Mathieu Eugene refused to sign, and was (eventually) sworn in.

Quinn is in Albany today (presumably lobbying for the same-sex marriage bill). Her office said she has no public schedule today.

As far as what divides the two camps, Rivera said there isn’t much of a split between members who will be term-limited out of office if the law doesn't change, and those that could run for re-election this year. The split, he said, fell along ideological lines: those who are willing to change the law legislatively through a Council vote, and those who think it needs to go before the voters.

Rivera also said nearly every Council member wants to vote on the bill “as soon as possible” so they know whether to run for re-election, aim for higher office, or file a lawsuit.

Councilman Robert Jackson, who supports changing the law, told me that even if Michael Bloomberg and Ron Lauder are shaping most of the public conversation, “It doesn’t matter." The issue, he said, is “pretty simple.”

Undecided City Councilman Mathieu Eugene walked past and said he’s still undecided. “I’m just an observer,” he said.

But the district's newly-elected Congresswoman Yvette Clarke supports Hillary Clinton,

And Mathieu Eugene--the first Haitian-born City Councilman--who represents the area, declined to tell me earlier this week who he’s supporting.

Una Clarke, the Congresswoman’s mother and matriarch of politics in the district, is with Clinton.

“I think Hillary will win the 11th,” Una Clarke told me just now in a telephone interview. “I think the mature voters will want to go her, because of age and experience.”

“There are people who like Barack, but the bottom line is people are looking for bread and butter,” she told me. “They’re looking for the delivery of the goods.”

I discussed this with a few readers at a bar not long ago, and there was some debate as to which was a bigger story: the ongoing problem of Alan Hevesi's financial indiscretion or Eliot Spitzer's eventful first year in Albany.

But there are other possibilities: Michael Bloomberg leaving the Republican Party, inciting speculation about a presidential campaign; Tom Suozzi's affection; Spitzer's quest for humility; Andrew Cuomo's investigations; Al Sharpton's continued relevance; a New York Post reporter quitting her job to cover the war in Iraq.

Personally, I'm still awed by Mathieu Eugene winning three elections in a single year.

So, what were the biggest, most memorable, must-remember stories of 2007?

Your nominees?

In the Staten Island District Attorney's race , with 92 percent of the precincts reporting back, incumbent Republican Dan Donovan got 17,523 votes (67 percent). Democratic challenger Mike Ryan got 8,527 (32.7 percent).

In the City Council race in Brooklyn, with 100 percent of the precincts reporting back, incumbent Democrat Mathieu Eugene got 3,024 votes (90.4 percent). Republican challenger Clarence John got 322 votes (9.6 percent).

In the civil court judicial race in Brooklyn, with 100 percent of the precincts reporting back, Democrat Noach Dear got 7,634 votes (65 percent). Republican James McCall got 4,106 votes (35 percent).

There are a more local election results here and here.

And here are links to more results for races in and around Dutchess County, Erie County, Mt. Vernon, Nassau County, Syracuse and Westchester County.

In case you forgot, he's running for his Council seat for the third time this year.

Eugene's latest opponent is a Republican named Clarence John.

According to the group, the king of member items is David Weprin of Queens, who got $736,500 for his district by funding 31 projects there. Councilman Leroy Comrie, also of Queens, funded 80 projects for a total of $710,857.

The district with the fewest dollars brought into it is in Brooklyn, where the Council’s newest member, Mathieu Eugene funded 10 programs for a total of $46,500. Helen Foster of the Bronx funded just one project, but it was worth $102,187.

The full report is here.

Mathieu Eugene's latest campaign finance numbers were just posted.

He raised $22,450, and spent $51,147. (Most of it on consultants.)

Which makes his June 4 fund-raiser a bit of a necessity.