Bloomberg, Lauder Differ on Term Limits Deal

Today, the NY Times reports that billionaire Ronald Lauder opposes Mayor Bloomberg's and the City Council's plan for legislation to permanently extend term limits from two four-year terms to three four-year terms. But the NY Post reports\ that Lauder, who help fund the initiatives to introduce term limits in the first place, made a deal with Bloomberg where Lauder would "support legislation...in exchange for a guaranteed seat on a Charter-revision commission."

Lauder told the Times, "If there is a permanent change, I will fight it. As far as I am concerned, it’s a one-time only exception. That is it. It took a lot of emotion even to extend term limits this once. I was opposed to even extending it once." And he referred to his somewhat bombshell announcement that he wanted Bloomberg to come back for another term, in spite of his opposition to extending term limits, "For the love of this city, I will do it once, but that is it.” Gee, thanks! But anyway, it seems that changing term limits for one term only might not stand up to the legal challenge.

The Post has this Lauder quote: "I believe we can make a once-only exception. If they try to make it a permanent three terms, the voters, by referendum, would have to vote it back to two terms - and I would put my money behind making sure that happens." And, from the Daily News: "The voters of New York by a margin of 75% want two terms and nothing more. I want Mayor Bloomberg to have a third term. The city needs him."

Maybe City Councilman John Liu put it best, when he told the Post, "Obviously, one billionaire is bending over backwards to get another billionaire on board. Never before have I seen such a vivid exposure of how much control the New York elite still tries to exert." And when the Observer asked political consultant Hank Sheinkopf about the matter, he explained, “Billionaires talk to billionaires in a common language that you and I don’t understand."

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By Jen Chung in News on October 6, 2008 2:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Leon Freilich

SEND IN THE BLOOM

Economic crisis.

Financial blizzard:

Gotta keep hold of

Municipal wizard.

Semper Bloomberg,

Whaf a guy!

Forget the Marines

And semper fi.

He's indispensable,

Shoulda been prez,

Fortunate city--

Or so he says.

Kevin Walsh

Tell me again why the will of the people answers to a makeup mogul?

www.forgotten-ny.com

shinyshiny

Mayor Mike Bloomberg has crowned himself Emperor of New York.

Insiders suggest he may already be planning an invasion to gain lands in nearby Nassau County.

dr zippy

babyh hits on a key point. With term limits, many potential candidates for mayor don't have enough time to gain the experience needed to govern the city effectively.

goyogago

yeah why have laws and stupid shit like that?

pretty awesome how bloomberg can just throw a bunch of money/favors at the council and get a law overturned. pretty awesome... for me to poop on.

babyhitler

c'mon who's the alternative to bloomie? weiner,no, liu, no. gotbaum, no. Bloomberg is the best choice.

Splicer

Pardon my French but who the f**k does this guy think he is? I'm really getting more than fed up of rich f**ckers who act as if their word means anything other than "blah-blah-blah". That goes for Bloomberg as well as cry-baby Lauder (and throw in about a million others as well). Rich people are already rich. They already have everything I can never have but that's not enough, is it? They have to make the lives of the have-nots even more miserable by flapping their gums.

JenChungsBaby

BBAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! What a rube Ronald Lauder is! Bloomberg's people got him to go public supporting a one-time exception to term limits and then they stuck the knife in his back and he had to do a total about face. He must be feeling pretty stupid today.

Wza

Billionaires for Bloombucks '09

Woohoo!

Steven

Once it happens once it's always going to happen again.

Bloomberg is fast turning into a douche.

Rob T Firefly

If there's anyone who keeps to their word about making major changes to the rules "just this once," it's governmental agencies. Amirite, folks?