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City Council Plots to Get An Extra Term
By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 4, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Dec 4, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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If there is one thing that your average group of politicians can agree on it would be a general dislike of term limits. So it should come as no surprise that if you put a bunch of politicians with voter-referendum-imposed term limits onto a governing body, say a City Council, they would do their darndest to nix those limits, or at least reduce them, without involving their constituents.
Which is exactly what is happening, the Times reports, in our own fine City Council. It has never been a secret that Gotham's politicians don't particularly like the term limits that were imposed on them in a 1993 citywide referendum, in fact they disliked it so much they tried, and failed, to overturn them with a second referendum in 1996. Since that try was nixed the pols, party bosses, and union leaders have been plotting how to add a third term for the council members without involving the pro-limit populace. And now they seem prepared to do it.
After current speaker Gifford Miller finishes up his last/current term and is replaced on January 4, it is highly expected that the Council will simply vote themselves an extra round in office. That is, unless the political pressure from philanthropists like Ronald S. Lauder and other pols like the Mayor stop them (Bloomie's line on the matter? "The public wants term limits, and if that's what they want, we should all learn to live with them."). Oh, and your voice on the matter wouldn't hurt much either (you can find your Council members e-mail address here). Which leads us to the question, what do you think of an extension of term limits?
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City Council
Gifford Miller
jen chung
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News: NYC
Garth Johnston
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