It’s official. And here’s an email from bill dated October 9th to prove it.

I want to share with you some exciting news. Today I’m making it official: I’m running to be Brooklyn’s next Borough President.

More than ever, Brooklyn is a city unto itself. Our diverse neighborhoods have become magnets for new families and new business from around the world. Brooklyn’s unique arts and cultural scene is flourishing and achieving global acclaim.

At the same time Brooklyn is booming, too many of our communities are becoming unaffordable for working families. Shoddy fly-by-night construction is ruining the fabric of our neighborhoods. Traffic and overcrowded schools are encroaching on our quality of life.

I am running for Borough President because I believe I have the experience and vision to strengthen and protect Brooklyn neighborhoods in a time of unprecedented growth and change.

My first priority as Borough President will be to keep Brooklyn affordable by building and preserving affordable housing. On the City Council I’ve played a key role in winning legislative and land-use victories that have led to the construction of thousands of units of affordable housing throughout Brooklyn. As Borough President I will work to ensure that we aggressively leverage our zoning code and land-use laws to build more affordable housing and protect our neighborhoods from development that prices out working families.

I believe that preserving our neighborhoods means not only keeping them affordable, but also stopping out-of-control and out-of-character development, keeping neighborhoods clean and ensuring support for vital community based organizations. As Borough President I plan to crack down on illegal development, partner with community groups to keep neighborhoods beautiful, and support institutions that contribute to Brooklyn’s richness and diversity.

As public school parents, Chirlane and I know the anxiety that every parent faces about keeping their children safe and having access to affordable child care and quality public schools. As a parent, former School Board member, and current Chair of the Council’s General Welfare Committee, I’ve fought hard to protect children and support families.

On the school board, I helped lead successful efforts to turn around failing schools, cap class size and expand pre-k. In the Council I led the fight to force reforms to New York City’s broken child welfare system in the wake of the Nixzmary Brown tragedy. Over the past six years, I’ve secured millions of dollars for Brooklyn schools and worked to expand and improve childcare options for Brooklyn families. As Borough President I will fight tirelessly to expand access to quality affordable childcare throughout Brooklyn, invest in capital improvements for school facilities to lower class size and ensure that every one of our borough’s schools are safe learning environments for all of our children.

As Borough President, no one will fight harder to keep Brooklyn affordable for working families, stop out-of-control development, protect our neighborhoods and improve our quality of life.

The best of Brooklyn is yet to come — let’s work together to make it happen.

All the best,

Bill de Blasio