Simcha Felder was one of the leading proponents of rewriting the term limits law to allow third terms for the City Council, and now, just a week into that third term, he’s leaving the job to join John Liu’s team in the Comptroller’s office.

The Daily News says: “Thanks for forcing a $350,000 special election.” (Not.)

That special election – for the 44th District representing Borough Park, Midwood, and Bensonhurst – was initially seen by The Jewish Week as a potential three way race between David Greenfield (founder of NYS Teach and the current Director of the Sephardic Community Federation), Joseph Lazar (former regional director the the NYS Office of Mental Health), and Noach Dear (18-year veteran of the pre-term limits Council, and a current judge on the Brooklyn Civil Court). Greenfield and Lazar were already gearing up for a run in 2009 before the term limits law was changed – neither opted to take on Felder, who won his short-lived third term uncontested.

But wait – Vos Iz Neias reports that Dov Hikind, a member of the Assembly and a power broker in the Borough Park Jewish community, has been clear in his opposition to Greenfield (his former chief of staff), and wishes to dissuade either Lazar or Dear from running against him.

Greenfield has already declared that he will run for Felder’s seat, and is seen as the strongest candidate in Council district’s neighborhoods outside of Boro Park. If multiple Boro Park candidates run against Greenfield, this would give Greenfield a leg up in the special election, Hikind said.

Greenfield served as Hikind’s chief of staff from 2001-2004. But political insiders say Greenfield is more independent of the Boro Park political establishment than other potential candidates in the race and represents a threat to Hikind’s influence.

“Dov has a tremendous disdain for the fact that Greenfield does and says whatever he wants,” said one political insider in the neighborhood, who is not affiliated with any campaign.

Neither of the three candidates currently live in the district – they will need to move there before the election date, which is to be set by Mayor Bloomberg.

Tags: Council District 44, David Greenfield, Dov Hikind, Joseph Lazar, Noach Dear, Simcha Felder