There was an abrupt about-face today from one of the leading candidates for mayor, over policing and public safety. As the race has heated up, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s support for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has cooled off.

For voters, one politician’s flip-flop may be another’s badly needed course correction, so as Democratic candidates for mayor jostle for primary votes come September, the potentially radioactive issue of the city’s stop-and-frisk program and the future of its chief champion have one of the leading contenders for City Hall changing course.

“If I’m mayor, Ray Kelly will be offered that job with the clear charge you get stop and frisks down. You do that constitutionally. If you can’t agree to that don’t take the job. If you take it and you don’t do it, you’ll get fired,” Quinn said.

What a difference a couple of weeks make. Here’s what Quinn said about Kelly just 16 days ago.

“Whoever the next mayor is would be lucky if he stayed on and I would absolutely make that offer,” Quinn said.

(Source: WCBSTV)