City Council's Term Limits Hearing is on Thursday

Photograph of Billionaires for Bloomberg at City Hall yesterday

A day after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn officially proclaimed her support to support extending term limits from two to three terms, the backlash and uncertainty continues to grow. Mayor Bloomberg's team has apparently been looking for support from unions and religious leaders. Right now, NY1's count of City Council members says 15 members support it, 18 are opposed, and 18 are undecided (26 votes are needed to pass the bill).

Mayor Bloomberg thinks Quinn's future is bright. The Observer reports that Mayor Bloomberg, earlier this morning, said he believed Quinn would be re-elected "overwhelmingly" in her district and would be speaker again. And: "If she's not re-elected to public office, however, Bloomberg said she would have 'enormous opportunities' in the private sector." Of course, there is that Page Six rumor that Quinn would not be re-elected as speaker: "Rather than go back to being an ordinary council member and have to give up her big staff and SUV, Quinn will leave the council and become a deputy mayor under Bloomberg." Quinn did say yesterday, "In difficult times, I believe voters should have the choice tokeep current leadership. If voters are not happy with any of us, they have the right to vote us out of office next November."

Representative Anthony Weiner, who is hoping to run for Mayor in 2009, is drawing the public's attention to this week's City Council hearing about term limits on Thursday at 1 p.m., encouraging them to attend and sign up for speaking lots at the newly launched website www.letnycvote.com.

During a conference call today, he said it was incredible that there was only one City Council hearing to discuss term limits--while many other major civic issues have had multiple hearings and meetings-- and believes the voters' voices must be heard instead of rushing this vote. And when asked about the NY Times report that Bloomberg's re-election would spend at least $20 million to "pound away" at him, Weiner said he thinks it's illegal for Bloomberg to run again in 2009 and wouldn't entertain any hypotheticals.

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By Jen Chung in News on October 13, 2008 3:57 PM

Comments [rss]

Dude69

#1 - Stop with the Weiner bashing! He tried to make it easier for hot Eastern European models to immigrate over to NYC. Many Wall Street ibankers were eternally grateful.

blablanyc

SantosCollandriana- How is Weiner an opportunist? This is the definition of an opportunist:

1. the policy or practice, as in politics, business, or one's personal affairs, of adapting actions, decisions, etc., to expediency or effectiveness regardless of the sacrifice of ethical principles. Source

That describes Bloomberg, Lauder and Quinn. It doesn't describe Anthony Weiner. Blommberg is the opportunist that had an ethics complaint raised against him last week for his term limit activities.

blablanyc

How can you say the public hearing has no teeth? The hearing is important. If Lauder and Bloomberg want to force the issue of term limits on the people of New York, we should be heard. Man, are they going to get an earful. The idea of needing Bloomberg because of a financial crisis is ludicrous. The nation is in a financial crisis now. How can anyone say there will be a financial crisis a year from now? Forcing the issue of a third term is self-serving.

Article from Crains:

Quinn's future at stake in term limits debate

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081012/FREE/310129943/-1/rss01&rssfeed=rss01

Rfive

the hearing has no teeth. if people don't want bloomberg or quinn, we'll have to vote them out. i just can't think of who else i'd want to run the city? catsimatidis? thompson (maybe)? weiner? hell fucking no.

Leon Freilich

STREAMLINING BLOOMBERG RE-ELECTION

Three-quarters of a million New Yorkers

Voted for Bloomberg in '05

And now he's planning to spend eighty million

In a new election drive.

But why enrich the media

Along with their politican-doters

When he can mail a hundred and seven

Dollars to each of the Bloomberg voters?

The election result would be the same

Without an enormous amount of fuss

And he would be spearheading his own

Economic stimulus.

drewo

And after Bloomie serves his 3rd term, he'll put his weight (and cash) behind Quinn when she runs for Mayor.

Its win-win for those two -- and the rest of us New Yorkers are only spectators.

Quinn did say yesterday, "In difficult times, I believe voters should have the choice tokeep current leadership. If voters are not happy with any of us, they have the right to vote us out of office next November."

Once again, using the Fear Factor. Times are always difficult to one extent or another. And voters did vote (twice) to keep you out of the office beyond 2 terms.

Wza

Mayor Bloomberg thinks Quinn's future is bright. The Observer reports that Mayor Bloomberg, earlier this morning, said he believed Quinn would be re-elected "overwhelmingly" in her district and would be speaker again. And: "If she's not re-elected to public office, however, Bloomberg said she would have 'enormous opportunities' in the private sector."

WTF is with this guy?

SantosCollandriana

Anthony Weiner is a phony and an opportunist, he knows the term limit bill will pass (one way or the other) so when he runs against Bloomberg he needs to have something to stump on other than the fact he's another useless career politician who's never done anything except run for office. All this free press doesn't hurt either, I'm sure.

Good luck, Weiner; you're gonan need it. All the synagogues in Rockaway can't help you against that Bloomberg war chest.