Lawmaker Moves To Block Changes To Term Limits

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The New York Sun

As the battle over term limits heats up in the City Council, one legislator is drafting a bill that would prevent the council from overturning the current law.

Council Member Tony Avella, who represents parts of Queens, said yesterday that he has directed the council’s legal division to draft the legislation, which would require that any changes to term limits be enacted through a voter referendum. Earlier this week, Council Member Oliver Koppell, who represents parts of the Bronx, asked that staff draft legislation that would extend term limits to three terms from two.

Mr. Avella said yesterday in an interview that he hoped his bill would provide a means of organizing a defense against any effort by legislators to overturn or extend term limits.

“The whole idea of the council overturning term limits legislatively is disgraceful. They should not be able to do that,” Mr. Avella said. “That’s why I’m introducing this bill. At the very least it should be a rallying cry for all those who support term limits.”

Mr. Avella said he opposes altering the current term limit laws regardless of the means by which it would be done, and pledged that he would not serve a third term even if a change in the law allowed him to do so.

Mayor Bloomberg has said that he would veto legislation by the City Council ending term limits but that he would consider signing legislation if it extended to three from two the number of terms allowed by city elected officials. Mr. Bloomberg and some 35 council members will be forced out of office by term limits in 2009 if the current law is not changed.


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