In an abrupt reversal, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday left the door open to supporting a change to the term-limits law through legislation.
“My job is if the City Council comes to us with a piece of legislation, we will look at it, we will consider it, and we’ll make what I hope is an informed judgment into what is in the best interest in the city,” the mayor said.
“The City Council has the right to change term limits if they want to.”
That was strikingly different from the position staked out by the mayor just eight months ago, when he raised the possibility of a ballot referendum to prevent the council from tinkering with the term-limits law.
“There is this technical imperfection, if you will, in the existing law that was approved by the public, where in theory the City Council could go and override the wishes of the public,” Bloomberg declared in December. “I think that that should be taken away.”
Voters imposed a two-term limit on the mayor and the 51 council members, as well as the city comptroller, public advocate and borough presidents, starting in 1993.
In 1996, voters reaffirmed their sentiments in a second referendum.
In recent months, though, some prominent New Yorkers have called for the law to be amended so Bloomberg could continue to lead the city as the economy is sinking.
While conceding he’s “flattered” by such views, the mayor insisted he won’t run again.
Two-thirds of the council will have to leave after 2009 if the law isn’t changed.
But if it is, dozens of candidates now running could unexpectedly find themselves facing incumbents.
A change to the law could also create havoc in the mayoral race, where two of the three leading candidates, Comptroller Bill Thompson and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, are term-limited officials, and the third, Rep. Anthony Weiner, has said he’s glad he won’t have to face Bloomberg.
Councilman Lew Fidler (D-Brooklyn) said it would require action “at the very highest levels” – meaning a deal involving Bloomberg and Quinn – to revamp term limits.
That would be a tough hurdle for Quinn, who announced last year it wouldn’t be fair to overturn term limits through legislation.
“I believe that overruling the will of New Yorkers . . . would be anti-democratic and anti-reform,” she said then.