Koppell, Backer of Term-Limits Bill, Says Wall Street Crisis Requires 'Experience'

Oliver Koppell, the City Councilman who is introducing a bill to extend term limits from a maximum of two terms to a maximum of three, said what’s happening on Wall Street helps make his case.

“To have a mayor that is knowledgeable about financial matters is good," Koppell said, referring to the very real possibility that Michael Bloomberg would seek a third term if the law were changed. "And we want the financial community to have confidence in the city as they’re making decisions in this very turbulent time.”

Speaking to me just now via cellphone, Koppell went on, “The members of this Council have faced the difficult fiscal times after 9/11 and we’ll be facing a similar situation in the next two years. We know we’ll have to bite the bullet and make difficult decisions.”

The city is in a fiscal crisis, Koppel said, and "it’s important to have experienced people in place to deal with that.”