‘New Opposition Rises to Change In Term Limits’ and ‘Political Effects of Term Limits Law Ripple Well Beyond New York City’
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Two recent articles on the term limit debate offered insightful commentary [New York, “New Opposition Rises to Change In Term Limits,” September 8, 2008, and National, “Political Effects of Term Limits Law Ripple Well Beyond New York City,” September 8, 2008].
In New York City, Democrats have gerrymandered City Council district lines for more than 50 years, since the days after the abolishment of the old Board of Alderman. At one point, after the borough-wide councilmember at large positions were abolished in 1982, there was only one Republican council member — Susan Molinari of Staten Island.
During the 1990s, the Republican Party elected Charles Millard and Andrew Eristoff in Manhattan, Martin Golden in Brooklyn, and Mike Abel, Tom Olgibene, and Alfonse Stabile in Queens, which resulted in their caucus growing to a record seven members.
After the 2005 elections, the Republican Party was unable to expand its meager base beyond Andrew Lanzo and James Oddo from Staten Island and Dennis Gallagher from Queens. As a result of the November 2005 general election, the current City Council consists of 48 Democrats and 3 Republicans.
Historically, once the Republican Party loses any City Council, state Assembly, state Senate, or U.S. congressional seat, they never seem able to reclaim it.
Analysis of the 2005 election results discloses that Mayor Bloomberg had no coattails to elect any new Republican councilmembers from seats controlled by the Democratic Party, even with his 20 point margin of victory.
New York City’s Council Districting Commission was composed of 15 members. Mr. Bloomberg appointed seven, a former New York City Council Speaker, Gifford Miller, appointed five, and the Republican Minority Council leader, James Oddo, appointed three.
In theory, Republicans controlled 10 of 15 votes which afforded them the opportunity to develop new district lines. This could have opened up a number of seats for fair contests and more potential Republican council seats.
Messrs. Bloomberg and Oddo failed to convince their appointees, who had majority control of the process to end the Democratic clubhouse monopoly of the City Council.
LAWRENCE PENNER
Great Neck, N.Y.
