By Cynthia Needham, Journal State House Bureau

Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts' announcement that she will not run for governor in 2010 has doused the ambitions of a number of Democrats who had previously considered a run, but has left Republican Scott Avedisian, mayor of Warwick, in a quandary.

Though Avedisian has long said he doesn't want to campaign against Roberts, an old friend, he's also said he would consider a bid for the job if former U.S. Senator Lincoln D. Chafee runs for governor.

With the lieutenant governor now preparing a run for reelection and Chafee's candidacy as an independent for governor all but official, Avedisian acknowledges he's got some tough decisions to make.

So what's on tap?

He now says he's looking at "four different options": a bid for lieutenant governor -- he's told Roberts he hasn't ruled it out; a longer-shot run for U.S. Congress; a stay-put plan in which he runs again for Warwick mayor, or one final option in which he leaves politics altogether.

He is coy about his leanings insisting, "I really haven't made up my mind yet."

We'll be watching.