Political Athlete John Liu Wins Graduations Race

President Clinton, Mayor Bloomberg, and Microsoft's Bill Gates may be among the most sought after graduation speakers in the county, but one tireless member of the City Council, John Liu of Queens, is performing as if there is some sort of prize involved.

Mr. Liu is fielding invitations to speak at dozens of schools this year, trying to cram 32 graduations into his already-packed schedule.

Yesterday, over the course of a little more than one hour, he appeared at three elementary schools in Queens, delivering nearly identical speeches to auditoriums of giddy fifth- and sixth-graders and their camera-wielding parents. He is scheduled to speak at seven graduations today.

The marathon mornings transform Mr. Liu, a former track and cross country runner, into a political athlete who scales school stairs, sprints down halls, and leaps over puddles to move from one ceremony to the next as quickly as possible.

When congratulating students at P.S. 120 in Flushing before the ceremony yesterday, Mr. Liu paused to listen to "Pomp and Circumstance."

"This is one of my favorite songs," he said, without a trace of irony.

The many graduation speeches — a personal record for Mr. Liu — come as he is laying the groundwork for a citywide campaign. He is one of 36 members of the 51-member council to be termed out of office in 2009, and although he says he hasn't decided which seat to seek in the next citywide election, he is considered a likely candidate for comptroller and already has raised more than $1 million for a campaign.

Two other candidates for comptroller, council members David Weprin and Melinda Katz, both of Queens, are speaking at 11 and 12 graduations, respectively. Council Member Eric Gioia of Queens, who is expected to run for public advocate, is scheduled to speak at about 15 ceremonies.

"There's no better day to share with the kids and with parents," Ms. Katz, who insists she isn't making the rounds for political purposes, said. She is speaking at schools only within her district, a point she emphasized to show the visits are not part of her citywide campaign.

A professor of public affairs at Baruch College, Douglas Muzzio, could only say "wow" when told of Mr. Liu's graduation schedule.

"He is extremely active. He is extremely ambitious," Mr. Muzzio said. "What better way to meet potential voters and their parents and loved ones than graduations? It's a perfect moment."

The first Asian American elected to the City Council, Mr. Liu is a popular speaker outside his district, especially at schools with large Asian student populations. He was born in Taiwan and moved to Flushing at age 5.

The admissions director at Professional Business College in Chinatown, David Wang, said the school invited Mr. Liu to speak, but did not ask the local council member, Alan Gerson.

"The majority of our graduates are Chinese," Mr. Wang said. "We are looking for someone who is close to the Chinese community to give the speech."

At P.S. 214, Mr. Liu was listed in the program as one of the ceremony's early speakers. He arrived late, jumping in after the student slide show and before the award presentations.

The school principal, Wendy Goldberg, appeared happy to accommodate his schedule. She said he's helped the school win funding for its computer and science labs. He now is working to get better stage lights for the theater, she said.

"We see him as a friend," she said. "We know he is busy."