Christine Quinn is expected to announce later today that she supports making changes to the city’s term-limits law legislatively, rather than through a referendum that would put the issue to voters.
That’s a change from the position she took on term limits last December, but, as it turns out, it’s actually in line with Quinn’s previous position.
In a public forum for City Council speaker candidates on November 21, 2005, Quinn said of the law permitting city officials to serve only two terms:
I also oppose term limits.
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I think it doesn’t allow elected officials enough time to become experts on the issues we need to be experts on in the legislature. And also, it does overly empower the staff…at City Hall. I think we should make changes to term limitations legislatively. It is an issue I would want to discuss immediately with my colleagues if I were elected speaker. I’m inclined to think 12 years is the right time frame, but I’m not committed to that because I think it really is a decision we all have to come to collectively in the new City Council.
It’s also worth noting that at the same forum, Bill de Blasio said would support extending term limits legislatively, while now he’s trying to block Michael Bloomberg’s plan to do just that.
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