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NEW YORK, NY [NY1] — Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced unprecedented plans today to change the city's term limits law in preparation for third run for office.

Saying he is best prepared to handle the city through these tough economic times and wants to give voters a chance to let him to continue to serve, Bloomberg said he is asking the City Council to draft legislation to extend term limits.

Mayor Announces Bid For Third Term

NEW YORK, NY [NY1] — Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced unprecedented plans today to change the city’s term limits law in preparation for third run for office.

Saying he is best prepared to handle the city through these tough economic times and wants to give voters a chance to let him to continue to serve, Bloomberg said he is asking the City Council to draft legislation to extend term limits.

As written, the current term limit law would force him from office at the end of next year.

Several lawyers and good government groups said yesterday they were considering lawsuits to block any changes made without voter approval. Voters passed the two-term limit in a referendum in 1993.

According to a new Marist Poll released today, while the majority of New Yorker favor term limits, many support extending them for Bloomberg.

Fifty percent of New York City’s electorate favors the current law, while 35 percent oppose restrictions on officials seeking re-election after a second term. However, when Bloomberg’s name is mentioned, more voters (46 percent) support changing the law, compared to 44 percent who are against it, and 10 percent who had not made up their minds.

Meanwhile, city officials remain divided on their decision on whether to support the mayor’s push to remain in office.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn spoke with the mayor yesterday. She has not yet taken a position, and her spokeswoman says Quinn will discuss the legislative implications of the mayor’s announcement with her colleagues.

NY1 reached out to all 51 council members to gauge their response to extending term limits.

Six members said they would vote to extend term limits. Twelve said they would not. Another 12 remain undecided, and 21 members could not be immediately contacted or did not respond to the station’s calls.

However, some of the city’s most prominent business people are backing the mayor’s plan.

In an open letter printed in several of today’s papers, 30 people signed a letter urging the City Council to extend term limits. Among those that signed the letter: Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman, Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Time Warner Chairman Dick Parsons.

The letter says New York would benefit from “continuity of great leadership” and calls upon the City Council to “give New Yorkers the opportunity to vote for whomever they think can do the best job.”

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9 Comments

  • Hypocrite

    kind of a chutzpah.

    When Guiliani’s term was ending, and 9/11 just happened, people really wanted him to stay on, and Bloomberg wouldn’t hear of it, all Guiiani got was a couple of extra months.

  • if u dont think so....

    i hope to hell he does he did a good job and with the current hard times this is just waht we need espically with an obama presedency looming ahed in the near future

  • shmuelY

    after Sep 11 when Rudy did the right thing and moved over for Blumberg who would have thought that this man would have the gall to not do the same. are we to think that Sep 11 at that time was not as important as todays mess? get out of office and if you want you can run for higher office, but get a life and enough of this sickness called power!

  • No more blumberg

    He does not care for the quality of life of this city. He only knows MONEY MONEY and MORE Money. Crime went up alot since Guliani. He juat tells the police to try to cover up and not have the crime reported. If anyone should run it should be Guliani

  • BigBen

    Bloomberg is out of touch with the common New Yorker. He does not take a salary (good thing) but he treats the City like a business (bad thing). He knows he can raise revenue by increasing property tax at any time but he does not want to reduce the bloated city government workforce and eliminate or reduce “programs”.
    We survived political hacks like Beam, Kotch, Dinkin so we can manage without rich Mayor Mike.
    The people voted for Term Limints why not at least as the people to vote again.
    Rudy was the best Mayor NYC ever had. I would vote for him any time.