City Council Would Get More Benefits With a 3rd Term

A new detail has come out that may influence the ongoing term limits debate. If term limits are extended from eight to twelve years as is being currently discussed, city council members would be guaranteeing their retirement health insurance, which kicks in after someone has worked for the city for ten years. That lifetime retiree health insurance costs up to $12,600 a year, theoretically putting the entire cost of over $200k each for the city to insure the family of its council members and their staffs. Most council members spoken to by the NY Times denied that the benefits had any bearing on their term limits stance and many have already qualified for it with other city jobs. But that still didn't refrain the councilman likely to propose the term limits extension bill Oliver Koppell from saying that it "might be a good selling point" for council members. Meanwhile city comptroller and likely mayoral candidate William Thompson spoke out against the connection saying, “There is just too much self-interest involved. And this would add to that perception.”