Christine Quinn vows to keep Ray Kelly as commissioner if elected NYC mayor

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has vowed to retain NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly on for another term if she is elected as New York mayor this year, latest reports suggest.

The report could mean that Kelly, often talked about as a prospective rival for Quinn on the Republican line will now line up behind her-- a major development.

According to the New York Post, the pair, who are New York's two most powerful Irish Americans, have cut a private deal.

“Ray is going to stay on if it’s Quinn,” a source close to Kelly stated.

Meanwhile, one of the City Council speaker's aides said she has “made her intentions clear” that she will retain Kelly if elected mayor.

Kelly, who traces his roots to Roscommon, had previously served two terms under Mayor David Dinkins. The 71-year-old Vietnam veteran is in his 12th year as commissioner under Mayor Bloomberg.

Other mayoral candidates, former city Comptroller William Thompson and current Comptroller John Liu, have both stated they would replace Kelly if elected.

Speaking about the secret pact, Quinn spokesman Jamie McShane said that the speaker “has repeatedly said that the next mayor of the city of New York would be incredibly lucky to have Ray Kelly stay on as their police commissioner.”

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said in an email to the newspaper that “no such discussion — ‘private’ or otherwise — has taken place between Speaker Quinn and Commissioner Kelly” about Kelly's future role.