A key ally of Mayor Michael Bloomberg was among a handful of officials and activists that filed a lawsuit Monday against the mayor over the change in the city’s term limits law.
Former Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari is heading up the suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, which says that voters should have been allowed to weigh in on the matter.
Molinari says the mayor wielded too much power to make sure he could run again.
“That’s wrong,” said the former borough president. “That’s not a democracy as we know it. As a matter of fact, it flies in the face of democracy. So, it bothered me very deeply, although I’m a friend of the mayor’s and I think he’s been a great mayor.”
He’s joined on the suit by City Council members Charles Barron, Leticia James, Bill DeBlasio, and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.
“This action is to give the people of New York a chance,” said Comptroller Bill Thompson, an opponent of the law and a possible mayoral candidate. “To not have their voice, their vote in the past arbitrarily cast aside. We’re confident that this is a case that belongs in federal court.”
Twice voters approved the two-term limit law.
Molinari was forced from office in 2001 because of term limits. He was also one of Bloomberg’s biggest supporters in his first run for mayor.
If the lawsuit fails, Molinari says he would consider supporting Bloomberg in 2009 if he goes back to being a Republican.
City officials responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:
“We believe the claims lack merit, and are confident that the court will determine that the amendment to the term limits law was proper and lawful.”
(Source: NY1)
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10 Responses
If I’m not mistaken, Bloomberg stated himself that it would be “disgusting” for people not to vote on the issue! What a hypocrite!
I really don’t understand Guy Molinari — why should Mayor Bloomberg be prevented from running for a third term — to give yet another mediocre political hack the opportunity to become mayor? New York has suffered mightily from political nonentities from Beame to Dinkins, and although the Mayor has his faults, he has put NY on track. Shame on you Mr. Molinari. It’s high time you stopped trying to be a kingmaker!!
I feel much better now
2,
There are laws (or there was a law) limiting them to 2 terms. Changing the law extending term limits should have gone to the people for a vote (granted I dont know the exact law in NYC but normally that is the case).
The thing to consider is that Bloomberg keepts bringing up new utterly rediculous taxes. If that is the case, I would hope most sensible people would vote him out anyway if he wanted to run again. For all we know, he could be eliminated during the primaries!
We should make a toll for mayor-runners.
I wish Mr. Molinari much luck. If only Rudy Giuliani had thought about running for a third term. Ah yes, those were the good, old days.
Whoever posted about Abe Beame was right. New York City was down right rotten and stinking in those days!!!!
#4 – Thats a very good point, you don’t know the laws, and therefor you should not comment on it.
As far as changing the City Charter to allow the third term, there are two modes that could have been done. One is a vote of the people on the issue and the other is a vote of the City Council, which is COMPLETELY authorized and legally able to do so.
A point that most people do not realize is that, although its said over and over as if its a fact, the people of NYC NEVER voted for term limits. What they did vote on was first approval of the new City Charter itself and later on a laundry list of changes. The problem is that the single issue of TERM LIMITS was never approved by the voters by itself.
In order to bring the issue to the voters, a CITY CHARTER COMMISSION has to be brought into existence which will then bring to the voters whatever changes they (the commission) want voted upon. It would probably never happen that just a single issue (term limits) would ever come before the people via a CITY CHARTER COMMISSION.
Judging by the artlice, Mr.Molinari is no position to talk about term limits (…”Molinari was forced from office in 2001 because of term limits…”).
However Bloombergs answer I think should have welcomed the idea of the people voting on the issue istead of saying the claims lack merit….
7,
Yeshiva of Flatbush,
As I said I did not know the exact details and now that you gave me your version of them I will stand by my statement all along which I will repeat now:
The thing to consider is that Bloomberg keepts bringing up new utterly rediculous taxes. If that is the case, I would hope most sensible people would vote him out anyway. For all we know, he could be eliminated during the primaries!
#9 – Not sure of the relevance of “Yeshiva of Flatbush” and btw, that should be spelled YESHIVAH if you are going to be accurate.
As to your comment: Thats what democracy is all about. Let the people choose if they want him for a third term or not.