Michael Bloomberg just won a lawsuit against critics who say he violated the law by extending term limits and by offering a seat on the charter revision commission in exchange for support from one-time critic Ron Lauder.
“The Mayor’s alleged ‘benefit’ was a former opponent’s support for a piece of legislation, not a personal or Read More
Serf Maltese, the Republican State Senator facing a tough re-election race against Democratic City Councilman Joe Addabbo, is getting help from two billionaires today.
First, Michael Bloomberg will campaign with Maltese in his Western Queens district this afternoon.
[img_assist|nid=106|title=Peter Vallone, Jr.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=191|height=250]City Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. of Queens, who has not decided how he's going to vote on the term-limits legislation,, said billionaire Ron Lauder's latest grumblings won't influence his decision.
"What billionaires say on any side of this issue doesn't concern me. I'm going to do what I think is right. Read More
News that Tom Golisano will oppose the change to term limits was, initially, seen as a boost to critics of the plan. But Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is suggesting a drawback to Golisano’s involvement.
Critics will lose their ability to push a populist argument if t they have their own billionaire supporter, he Read More
News that Tom Golisano will oppose the change to term limits was, initially, seen as a boost to critics of the plan. But Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is suggesting a drawback to Golisano’s involvement.Critics will lose their ability to push a populist argument if t they have their own billionaire supporter, he said.Critics Read More
An interested reader pointed out that the number of major unions in favor of extending term limits, even as the labor-backed Working Families Party is actively working to oppose the term-limits legislation.
The unions that support the change cite Michael Bloomberg's experience as the reason he's most qualified to lead the city in a fiscal Read More
Two good government groups have filed a Freedom of Information Law request seeking communications between the mayor's office and "any private party" on the issue of term limits.
The request, filed by the New York Public Interest Research Group and Common Cause yesterday, is an attempt to disprove the mayor's official explanation that he only Read More
The New York City Bar Association just released a statement opposing the term-limits legislation that the City Council is considering. According to the A.B.A., Michael Bloomberg's plan would undermine the public's confidence in the legislative process.
From the statement:
"It would indeed be a tall order to convince New Yorkers that in taking this matter unto Read More
Ron Lauder just released a statement that may complicate the whole term-limits debate.
In short, it says that he met with Michael Bloomberg today and will "reluctantly" support a change to the law that would allow elected officials to serve for three terms in office, instead of only two.
But, Lauder says he will "vigorously" work Read More
Unofficially, the bill to change the city’s term-limits law will pass the City Council with about 35 votes in favor, according to Majority Leader Joel Rivera, who spoke to me on the City Hall steps after the Council's Democratic caucus meeting.As far as what divides the two camps, Rivera said there isn’t much of a Read More
State Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from the East Side with a penchant for good-government policy, thinks there’s something wrong with how the debate about term limits is playing out in the public sphere.“Ron Lauder opposes. Bloomberg supports. News at 11,” she said sarcastically. “Thank you! It’s nice to hear from you Read More
Michael Bloomberg’s deference to cosmetics heir Ron Lauder on the issue of term limits is striking, considering that Lauder has never actually been a public elected official. Lauder's involvement -- and apparently, his right to have an outsized say in the city's position on the matter going forward -- is based entirely on the Read More
Michael Bloomberg is very popular, has billions of dollars, and wants to change the city's term-limits law. Ron Lauder is not as well known, has billions of dollars and (basically) wants to preserve term limits.So, why does Bloomberg to court Lauder, and acquiesce to Lauder's demands for a bizarre one-time-only change in Read More
So, what happened with the city’s Charter Revision Commission between
The change also has a better chance of passing if it's voted on by the 51-member City Council, rather than the public.
The official rationale at this point is that the whole idea of making an exception to term limits is a result Read More
Now that Ron Lauder is on board with a third Bloomberg term, the mayor has cleared a major hurdle for another bid, but there are a few details he would need to work out.
Unlike during his two previous mayoral campaigns, Bloomberg is no longer a member of any political party. If he were to Read More
