De Blasio Says He Will Move to Gracie Mansion

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio, ending weeks of feverish speculation, announced on Wednesday that he and his family would be leaving their longtime home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and moving into Grace Mansion.

The de Blasios would be the first family to live in Gracie Mansion since Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg opted to live instead in his opulent East 79th Street townhouse. But their decision was hardly a fait accompli.

For weeks, Mr. de Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, had publicly agonized over whether they would leave their Park Slope rowhouse, in part because of their neighborhood, and in part because of concerns over the lengthier commute that their teenage son, Dante, would have to Brooklyn Technical High School. And even though the mayor-elect said the family would make a decision around Thanksgiving, when their daughter, Chiara, a college student, would be home for the holidays, he kept delaying a decision.

But in an announcement on his website - which was written by all four de Blasios - the family cited 'logistical and security concerns' as a major reason for the move.

'We'll miss Brooklyn, but we are incredibly gratified to the people of New York for the opportunity to live in the mayor's residence,' the family wrote. 'It is an honor we accept with thanks.'

But they said that they would keep their Park Slope house, would stop by favorite places like the Purity Diner and Bar Toto as often as possible, and added: 'Don't bet against seeing us at the Park Slope YMCA occasionally.'