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Speaker Quinn Seems Hell-Bent To Chew Her Way All The Way To Gracie Mansion

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – It's a sticky situation for the woman who wants to be New York City's next mayor.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been seen in public and on camera failing to mind her manners.

CBS 2's Tony Aiello chewed this over with an etiquette expert.

Standing behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday, she chewed and chewed and chewed some more during an affordable housing announcement on the West Side.

She tucked her gum into her cheek while speaking and then went back to chewing as Congressman Jerry Nadler stepped to the podium.

"In polite, civil society, people don't chew gum in public!" etiquette expert Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick told Aiello.

Fitzpatrick said Quinn's gum chewing was a real social faux pas --  disrespectful to the mayor and other dignitaries.

"It's distracting to the listeners. It shows a lack of polish; it shows a lack of judgment," Fitzpatrick said.

You'd expect an etiquette expert to say that, but when Aiello showed the video to people in Midtown everyone had the same reaction – laughter.

"Not good, not good manners. We know better than that," one man said.

"That don't look good, that's not good!" another person said.

"I wouldn't chew gum standing behind any person speaking. It's disrespectful," another said.

"Well, at least she didn't blow a bubble, ha!" another said.

A spokesman for the speaker told Aiello, "Yesterday, Chris Quinn announced the creation of 682 affordable apartments and 2,900 construction jobs -- now that's something to chew on."

The project Quinn announced will also include a new public school, where chewing gum will likely be prohibited.

The etiquette expert said there are two rules when it comes to gum: Don't chew it in public, and dispose of it in the trash, not on the sidewalk.

Do you think this is a big deal? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below.

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