Term Limits Opponent Seeks Bill To Extend Limit to Three Terms

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The New York Sun

Mayor Bloomberg’s new stance on term limits — that it’s debatable whether the law should restrict officials from serving three terms or two — may soon by put to a test.

A City Council member who is a staunch opponent of term limits, Oliver Koppell of the Bronx, said yesterday he has asked the council to draft a term limit extension bill that would allow officials to stay in office for three consecutive four-year terms, instead of two.

He said he hopes Speaker Christine Quinn will support the legislation, but said he intends to force it into committee even if she doesn’t back it.

Ms. Quinn also is opposed to term limits, but in December appeared to close the door on the issue when she announced that she would fight aggressively any attempt to change the term limits law. At the time, Mr. Bloomberg said the council’s ability to extend term limits by a council vote was a “technical imperfection” that “should be taken away.”

Mr. Koppell said he thought Ms. Quinn might change her mind on term limits “given the mayor’s change in mind and also given what the council members may want.”

Mr. Bloomberg said yesterday that if the council approved a bill to end term limits altogether, he would veto it, but added that he would have “to think long and hard” about a bill to extend term limits to three terms from two.

New Yorkers have twice voted in favor of the two-term limit.

“I have been lobbied by both sides continuously over the last few weeks, and I’ll just have to see what the details are,” he said.


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