City Council Will Get Terms Limits Bill Next Week

After Mayor Bloomberg announced he definitely would run for a third term if the City Council passed legislation adding a third term to existing term limits, the City Council announced that the legislation would be introduced on Tuesday.

However, the Council bill will ask to make the addition of a third term permanent, versus just until 2013, as most-of-the-time term limits proponent Ronald Lauder suggested. City Council Christine Quinn said, "We typically don't write any 'Lauder' options in legislation." Still, Representative Anthony Weiner, who has been interested in running for mayor next year, criticized the mayor and council, “This is fundamentally about a back-room deal, substituting the value and judgment of the citizens of New York City for their own."

A Quinnipiac University poll says that while 65% of voters support term limits, 54% of voters support extending term limits to 12 years so Bloomberg can run for a third term--and 51% would vote for him. As to why Bloomberg, who once called the very idea of overturning term limits "an absolute disgrace" (this was back in 2005), had a change of heart, the NY Times, besides suggesting his ego had something to do with it, speaks to people who say he really loves being mayor (and would be bored if only working in philanthropy).

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By Jen Chung in News on October 3, 2008 5:19 PM

Comments [rss]

blablanyc

I can make a Star Wars reference to the this: Bloomberg is Palpatine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpatine

blablanyc

I prefer term limits. Especially for the mayor. Term limits help stave off corruption amongst elected officials.

Bloomberg gets a lot of support from voters because he is a recognized brand name. He gets so much support from the media because he has very close relationships within that industry. It's rare to hear the media say anything critical about Bloomberg. Very disturbing.

ianmac47

Funny that Weiner is so concerned about New Yorker's judgment-- perhaps he's afraid that when they compare him to Bloomberg, New Yorker's will judge Weiner inferior.

glennQNYC

The term limits bill is 'living and breathing' I guess...

JMH

Weiner is a humongous tool. He wouldn't be nearly as upset if anyone liked him enough to vote for him anyway. Same goes for everyone else - you don't like it? Vote for someone else. Campaign for someone else. If everyone is so furious about this, Bloomberg won't win the election right?

brooklynbrooklyn

We lost a great man this week -- Paul Newman. He never let fame overtake why he was put on this earth. He did amazing things and led a good life.

It's a shame, that men, such as M.Bloomberg, Dick Fuld, Henry Paulson and yes, George Bush, who have been given such fortune in their lives and are in a position to do so much good for the world, manage to let ego and a need for power take over - to the detriment of us all.

Karma. Mike. Just remember. Karma. Eventually they all "have a great fall..." Humpty D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDyayfFnH90

You will too.

TKaisen

If only....... if only there were some way to get him out of office if you didn't agree with his policies.

Maybrick2001

This guy's ego is getting bigger than Trump's comb over!

GaryK

where is the best place to build barricades around city hall? i am ready to man them. if the city council is going to overturn the will of the people, i think the people of new york city need to surround city hall and stand up to these crooks.

Wza

Money talks.

HUGO_MEGO

Bloomberg now thinks he is King and can do whatever he wants.

kissel

I can answer your dilemma, all the clowns in the city council will vote for this so they can all come back to the circus. Even if Bloomberg was the best thing to come to ever come to NYC, I would vote it down for that reason alone. Besides the fact that these people are voting for extending their own terms... not someone else's down the line - this is absolutely ridiculous.

ides_of_march

The country is screaming out for term limits on both houses of Congress. The senate in particular is starting to remind me of Louis XIV's court at Versailles.

I don't mind another Bloomberg term, I'm just worried who might want a third term years down the road. Therein lies the dilemma.

rcltrh

So in 4 more years will he decide term limits needs to be extended to 4 terms? What a disgrace to the voting people of our city. Not that I really mine Mike, its the whole principle of people voting for something for a just cause, then having the very people it was meant to restrain get it overturned by some backdoor means. What next, having the presidential losing candidate be awarded the presidency even after the people/electorals vote otherwise? Oh nevermind, that's how we got Bush.