Bloomberg and the Referendum Deadline

One of the main arguments being marshaled against Michael Bloomberg's bid to change the term-limits law—in several notable cases by opponents who have never before taken such a keen interest in the merits of government-by-plebiscite—is that undoing the results of a public referendum by Council legislation is undemocratic.

Bloomberg's preemptive (and very convenient) counterargument is that it's too late now to put it on the ballot for November. Here are two instances of Bloomberg discussing his timing.

At the first event, an October 2 press conference, Bloomberg said he would have liked to put term limits on the ballot, but there is no longer enough time.

The second clip, from an October 10 press conference, Bloomberg says he was too busy to put together the charter revision commission that he announced in January—a move that would have ensured that term limits made it onto the ballot this year.