New York Times Runs Blistering Report On Christine Quinn's "Volatile Temper"

Yesterday the New York Times published a lengthy examination of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's legendary temper, which sometimes erupts into warnings to opponents that she'll "slice off your balls."

As she pursues a high-profile bid for mayor, Ms. Quinn, a Democrat, has proudly promoted her boisterous personality, hoping that voters will embrace her blend of brashness and personal charm. But in private, friends and colleagues say, another Ms. Quinn can emerge: controlling, temperamental and surprisingly volatile, with a habit of hair-trigger eruptions of unchecked, face-to-face wrath.

She has threatened, repeatedly, to slice off the private parts of those who cross her. She is sensitive to slights: When a Queens councilwoman neglected to credit Ms. Quinn in a news release, the speaker retaliated by cutting money for programs in her district. Ms. Quinn’s staff, concerned that angry tirades could be overheard by outsiders, added soundproofing to her City Hall office. Wary of her temper, they are known to ask one another: “Did she throw up on you today?”

The NYT notes that Quinn's staffers have sound-proofed her office so that passersby cannot hear her shouting. This morning Quinn defended herself on CNN and said that she's merely passionate and is only interested in "bringing the best to New York City." Quinn continues to dominate mayoral polling and is widely expected to cruise to a relatively easy win this November.