It is still not clear to residents in the Brooklyn district represented by David Yassky if Mr. Yassky is running for re-election to City Council, or for comptroller, as he maintains.

If he does try to regain his Council seat, Mr. Yassky – who infuriated some constituents with his support for a term limits extension – could face a tough challenge.

Indeed, Jo Anne Simon is getting a great deal of encouragement these days from community leaders and elected officials in the district, which stretches from Greenpoint and Williamsburg into Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. And Ms. Simon, a Democratic Party district leader, says that she will run, even if Mr. Yassky decides to seek a third term in the Council.

Mr. Yassky has faced a firestorm of criticism in his district in recent weeks for supporting Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s much-debated legislation to extend term limits for himself and other city officials. There has been a wealth of discontent for some council members who supported the bill, which Mr. Bloomberg signed into law on Monday. The discontent has been particularly vehement in Mr. Yassky’s district, where many initially believed that the councilman would approve of changing the law only by a public referendum, pointing out that the laws resulted from two public votes.

In an interview on Thursday in Downtown Brooklyn, Ms. Simon reaffirmed her desire to run regardless of Mr. Yassky’s plans.

“I’m not thinking about running, I am running,” she said.

In an interview with the NY Times on Friday, Mr. Yassky said that he intended to run for comptroller next year, rather than for re-election to the Council. But he noted that his plans would change if William C. Thompson Jr., the city’s comptroller, decides to run for re-election rather than for mayor; Mr. Thompson has insisted that a mayoral run is in his near future.

Ms. Simon is joined by other candidates who have said they are running for the Council seat in that district.

One is Evan R. Thies, a longtime aide to Mr. Yassky. Another is Stephen T. Levin, who is chief of staff to Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, the Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman. Another candidate is Kenneth J. Bear, who until recently served as chairman of the Sierra Club of New York State. There is also Kenneth A. Diamondstone, a developer who unsuccessfully ran in past years for City Council and the State Senate.

Another candidate is Isaac Abraham, a community advocate.

Abraham confirmed to YWN in a telephone interview last week that he is running for the seat.

(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN NYC / NY Times)