On one Tuesday, John Liu (D-Queens) was an emissary, standing with his fellow members of the City Council’s Black, Asian and Latino Caucus to welcome Bolivian President Evo Morales to New York.

The next Tuesday, Liu was a tour guide and a civics teacher, explaining the inner workings of City Hall to a delegation from the Gyeonnggi Provincial Council of South Korea.

Minutes later, he was a defender of civil liberties, sitting in the Council chamber and chiding a deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department for attempting to forward a new policy that was “hypocritical” and “oxymoronic.”

And later that same day, Liu was a peacemaker, attempting to soften anger over the Sean Bell verdict at a pair of community gatherings in Queens and Brooklyn.

But everyday, at every minute, Liu is also a candidate for citywide office in 2009. Which office he is a candidate for, though, remains a question. And despite his constant public appearances and well-earned reputation for sending out waves of press releases—or that many of the other term-limited Council members have made their intentions clear for next year—Liu has been keeping uncharacteristically quiet about his plans.

As the city's first Asian-American Council member, Liu is positioned to enter either race with two significant advantages: a sizeable base (there are more than 800,000 Asian Americans in New York) and a bulging war chest.

He is presumed to be leaning towards either public advocate or city comptroller, with most assuming he will make a bid for comptroller. Liu smiles at the chatter, but does not say anything. Remaining an enigma has not hurt his fundraising, though, with an amassed $2 million, much of which was donated by Asian-American supporters, that makes him one of the best-funded candidates in the city.

Both races present different sets of challenges for Liu.

If Liu throws his hat into the comptroller's race, he will be facing a crowded and highly competitive Democratic primary. The line-up includes Queens Council Members Melinda Katz and David Weprin, Brooklyn Council Members Simcha Felder and David Yassky, Brooklyn Assembly Member James Brennan and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión.

On the other hand, the public advocate race is much leaner, with only Queens Council Member Eric Gioia, civil rights attorney Norman Siegel and Assembly Member Adam Clayton Powell IV expected to run at this point, with the possible addition of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

Veteran political consultant Hank Sheinkopf said Liu would fare much better in the public advocate race than the one for comptroller. He could present himself as a fiscal watchdog, a transportation advocate (Liu chairs the Council's Transportation Committee) and as a defender of immigrants, Sheinkopf said—all qualities voters look for in a public advocate.

The comptroller's race, with its diverse menu of candidates and several Queens candidates already set on running, would be more difficult for Liu to break into, Sheinkopf added.

“I don't see him well-positioned for that race,” he said. “He needs an opportunity that's fresh and different.”

Several recent events have allowed Liu to highlight his roles as a fiscal watchdog and an independently minded politician willing to speak out against the city's elected leadership.

In early April, when the City Council was still reeling from the discretionary fund scandal, Liu was the first member to speak out forcefully against the budgetary reforms sought by Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan).

Liu later said that although he does not relish the opportunity to point out wrongdoings in the Council, he does so vigorously because he feels compelled.

“If any of my colleagues are doing something wrong, I will speak out about that,” he said. “But my goal in representing my constituents and the people of New York is not to speak out against Council members, but to talk about what the Education Department can do better, what the MTA can, what even the Police Department can do better.”

If that sounded too much like someone planning to run for public advocate, Liu quickly clarified his comments.

“I think anybody in the comptroller's position would have the same kind of concerns,” he said, before adding, “Anybody in elected office in New York should have the same concern.”

As he deflected questions about his 2009 plans, Liu had criticisms for those elected officials who have already declared their candidacies.

“By not dwelling too much, or at all, on what I might run for next year, I'm not counted out from my current job,” Liu said. “I think that’s a pitfall in declaring for an office too early. You become a lame duck.”

Liu's move to keep quiet his citywide ambitions may be unusual, but, he insists, will not put him at a disadvantage when he does declare a candidacy.

“I'm not thinking a whole lot about next year, but I'll be ready,” he said with a slight smile. “And one of the ways candidates have to be ready now is with their war chests. Apart from that, I got a job to do right now.”

That job takes him from City Hall to Flushing to Fort Greene in Brooklyn in one day, where Liu has the opportunity to test his citywide appeal. But he dismisses the notion that he will need a citywide constituency to win votes.

“I don't know what that means, ‘constituency.’ That's like political talk,” he said. “I do know that I have 8.2 million fellow New Yorkers in a city that I've lived in almost my whole life.”

As far back as 2006 people were talking about Liu as a candidate for mayor. Two years later, his name still comes up in conversation.

He shot down those rumors, as well as ones which have him running for Queens Borough President. More likely, he teased, he could leave politics altogether and return to the private sector.

“I could return to my own firm,” he said, referring to his pre-Council days as a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “I have tentative offers to help run companies, to head up companies.”

Standing in the revolving doors at 250 Broadway, Liu paused to finish his thought, causing a slight traffic jam of people trying to exit the building.

Liu defended his indecision by insisting he would run for the office he felt most suited him. With his characteristic no-nonsense style of humor, he added one more thought before finally going through the revolving doors.

“I have no intention of staying in office,” he said, “just for the hell of staying in office.”