After months of speculation about his political future, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg plans to announce on Thursday morning that he will seek a third term as mayor, according to three people who have been told of his plans. The extraordinary move promises to upend New York City’s political world. [See full article.]Right now, Mr. Bloomberg is barred by law from seeking re-election. But he will propose trying to revise the city’s 15-year-old term limits law, which would otherwise force him and dozens of other elected leaders out of office in 2009, the three people said.
Only three mayors in the city’s modern history have served three terms: Fiorello H. La Guardia (1934-1945), Robert F. Wagner (1954-1965) and Edward I. Koch (1978-1989).
As news of Mr. Bloomberg’s decision spread, reaction came in from various quarters. City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., who has been planning a run for mayor next year, said in a statement:
First and foremost, the will of the people should not be ignored. I am opposed to any extension of term limits by legislative fiat. The voters have spoken twice, and an attempt to disregard their voice sends a message that democracy has taken a back seat.
While the details of the plan are still unclear, it would be wrong for the City Council to pass self-serving legislation that extends their term in office by four more years. Any attempt to change term limits must be done by voter referendum. A backdoor deal undermines the will of New Yorkers.
New York City can and will survive when leadership changes. We have faced fiscal crises before, and a number of new leaders stepped into office only a few months after the September 11th attacks, when New York City’s economy was in a downward spiral. Democracy is bigger than any one person.
Betsy Gotbaum, the New York City public advocate, said in a statement:
I cannot support extending term limits by anything other than a public vote. It’s up to the people of New York to decide how long they want their elected officials in office, and they’ve already told us twice. It’s an insult to the democratic process and a slap in the face to New Yorkers to now render those votes meaningless.
What matters here is what New Yorkers think and say on this issue, not what one powerful cosmetics heir has to say. The rules can not and should not be changed late in the game. That’s not the way our democracy works.
This is a decision for the people; not for incumbents, not for editorial boards and not for a few wealthy and powerful individuals.
Kathryn S. Wylde, president and chief executive officer of the Partnership for New York City, said in a statement:
The business community urges the City Council to go forward with legislation to extend term limits by four years and urges the Mayor to sign this legislation into law. New York City and the country face a serious economic crisis and continuity in leadership is crucial at this time.
Councilman Bill de Blasio, Democrat of Queens, said in a statement:
While it’s true that we are facing difficult economic times and that Mayor Bloomberg has been a very capable leader, it is up to the people of New York City to decide if we are going to make a wholesale change in our electoral system. Our current term limits law should not be changed at this point except by popular referendum.
Even after September 11, 2001 when then-mayor Rudy Giuliani proposed extending his own term, the people of this city overwhelming opposed changing our election system and schedule. There is little doubt that that was the gravest crisis this city has ever faced, and yet the citizens of New York City believed in the strength of our institutions and knew that new leadership would emerge. As has often been noted, American democracy is based on the idea that ours is a government of laws, not of men or women. This issue must be brought to the people.
The office of Councilman John C. Liu, Democrat of Queens, said in a statement:
Council Member John Liu has long defended the will of the people as expressed through past public referenda. New Yorkers have voted twice before to limit office-holders to eight years. Regrettably, Mayor Michael Bloomberg now appears to favor changing the term limits without putting the question before the voters again. Although John does not support the concept of term limits, he certainly cannot and will not support the mayor pushing this through. Times are tough but so are New Yorkers. And New York is a lot bigger than one man.
Earlier Tuesday, the wealthy business executive Ronald S. Lauder — who financed ballot referendums in 1993 and 1996 limiting New York City officials to two four-year terms — said he now supports allowing Mr. Bloomberg to seek re-election next year.
Later on Tuesday, the Opinion section of The Times published an editorial endorsing the idea of ending term limits. (It should be noted that City Room is a news blog and that the newsroom is not involved in editorial page decisions or deliberations.)
Readers are invited to address these questions: Should Mr. Bloomberg seek to run again? Should the term-limits law be changed? If so, is it acceptable for the City Council and mayor to do so on their own — without a direct popular vote like the referendums in 1993 and 1996 that imposed term limits? (Most experts say it is too late to call a voter referendum in time for the November 2009 election.)
