Paterson on Bloomberg's Third Term: 'Great Idea'

Here's the audio clip of David Paterson saying he likes the idea of Michael Bloomberg sticking around City Hall for a third term, although he's limited to two terms by law.

"If he wants to run for a third term I think it's a great idea," Paterson told reporters at a midtown press conference today. (A New York Sun editorial today predicted Paterson was encouraging Bloomberg).

At about the six-minute mark, Paterson said, “Mayor Bloomberg, if he wants to run for a third term--I think it’s a great idea. There was a time he wanted to run for president, and that wouldn’t have been a bad idea either, because I can’t think of another geographical location that has responded to the economic situation, which people could feel coming two or three years ago, better than New York City.”

Responding to a follow-up question later, Paterson said the decision is “personal.” And: “We’d love to have him around. That’s his decision to make. By the way, I’m running for a third term.”

That, Liz notes, fits nicely into Paterson's plans for 2010.