10/10/08

Bloomberg's Power Grab Headlines

Velazquez Ups The Term Limits Ante - The Daily Politics
"And we are going to deny the ability for those minorities to be elected to office. So, I will tell you if they pass term limits legislation I will get a letter to the (U.S.) Department of Justice (invoking) the Voting Rights Act, Section 2, that because they need to be reviewed and they need to apply (it) in this case.”

Bloomberg will spend at least $100 Million on campaign. Ethics Violations? No Problem. - Washington Square Park
If Mayor Mike is so sure of his popularity and so convinced that he is the only one who can do the “job” in these tough times, why the need to bulldoze over his competition? Clearly, he will do whatever it takes to keep himself in City Hall.

Where They Stand? - It's Our Decision Campaign
Where does your City Council member stand on term limits? Are they for letting voters decide? Or do they think politicians should ignore the will of the people?

Ethics Complaint Filed Over Bloomberg-Lauder Pact - CityRoom
New York Public Interest Research Group and Common Cause filed a complaint with the City's Conflict of Interest Board that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg had violated the city’s ethics laws when he pledged to put Ronald S. Lauder on a charter revision commission to ensure that the billionaire cosmetics heir supports the mayor’s bid for a third term.

Unearthed: Lauder's 2006 Opposition to Council Changing Limits - CityHall
"Yes, problems remain. Term limits never promised to make local politicians pure. Term limits just promised to limit their lease. And the new term limits shenanigans afoot in the current City Council amply demonstrate the need to enforce reasonable restrictions on incumbency."

Ministers Speak Against Bloomberg Plan - CityRoom
City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. said that a number of clergy leader plan to speak to their congregations against the plan to change term limits without a public vote in what he called the “100 pulpits for voters’ rights” initiative.

One More Vote Against Term-Limits Change - NYObserver
Councilwoman Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn, according to a line buried in this NY1 story, has now said she supports putting the issue up for a referendum.

Lauder and Bloomberg Strike a Deal - NYTimes
The billionaire who threatened to block Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s path to a third term has backed down.

Mayor Gives $20M in Discretionary Funding - NYSun
Over the past six years, Mr. Bloomberg has doled out about $20 million to council members for their member items, spending the most money in fiscal year 2006, when he gave out $5.6 million. That was the year Mr. Bloomberg was running for re-election.

Podcast: And for Dessert, a Mayoral Election- CityRoom
In fact, the biggest travesty of the political season so far was watching New York’s power brokers unabashedly go on bended knee to beg indulgence from a businessman and philanthropist for whom they share little respect as a statesman.

Bloomberg Accused of Power Abuse in Term-Limit Deal - 1010Wins
Opponents of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaign to change the city's term-limits law so he can run again filed a complaint Thursday alleging he abused his power when he made a deal to win over a potential foe.

Bloomberg Third-Term Rumors Were Met With Disbelief - NYObserver
One of the reasons that Michael Bloomberg’s recent public efforts to change the term-limits law has been fairly successful is that it's been in the works for a long time.

State Bill Would Require Term Limit Referendum - CityRoom
Assemblyman Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) plans to introduce a bill that would block Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in his attempt to seek another term as mayor without first winning a public referendum.

Term Limits: It’s Our Decision - The Working Families Party
Mayor Bloomberg tells the NY Daily News (in 2002), “I would oppose any change in the law that a legislative body tries to make. I do think after you’ve asked the public to express their views twice, you don’t try to circumvent the will of the people.”

The Bloomberg Syndrome - Salon
Banana republic fever: It's catching! Another word for it might be Bloombergism or the Bloomberg syndrome. Where a figure in public life suddenly decides he's above the law or above ethical considerations just because of his own greatness. Perhaps El Comandante syndrome might capture it.

Quinn Supports Bloomberg's Reign, Wishes She Could be a Billionaire, Too - NYPress
The rest of the billionaires who control the city's newspapers and power structure have fallen in lockstep with Billionaire Bloomberg's idea.

Quinn and Majority of Council to Support Permanent Extension of Term Limits - CityHall
Lauder jolted the city’s political world last week by announcing his support for a one-time extension of term limits in order to allow the mayor to run for reelection.

Let the Voters Decide - Henry Stern
Most of the city knows that the basis of the Mayor’s decision to seek a third term is based, in part, on his continuing personal desire for relevance and attention. The more such wishes are gratified, the more they grow. The quest for fame, recognition and approval is as addictive as the craving for drugs, alcohol, and inappropriate sex. These feelings do not fade with time. This mayor is far from the worst in this area, it is simply that his ambition plays out on a grander and more public scale.

Media Pave the Way to 3rd Term for Bloomberg - NYTimes
With a fiscal crisis at hand, the business leaders of New York has already held a private referendum and decided who the next mayor should be. So in spite of his rather breathtaking grab for another term, there will be no opprobrium forthcoming from the editorial pages of the city’s newspapers.

Bloomberg Third-Term Rumors Were Met With Disbelief - NYObserver
One of the reasons that Michael Bloomberg’s recent public efforts to change the term-limits law has been fairly successful is that it's been in the works for a long time.

Thompson: Term-Limits Legislation 'Inappropriate' - The Politicker
It is inappropriate for the Mayor and City Council to pass legislation that ignores the will of the voters

No third term for Michael Bloomberg, please - rationallyspeaking.org
Please, Michael, rethink this whole thing over, retire while you are on the upswing, and let democracy run its course. This is the city that never sleeps, surely we can find at least one person as awake and ready to take the helm as you. Right?

Bill to end term limits introduced, paving way for Bloomberg - NYDailyNews
The intention of Council leaders is to move the bill-and competing legislation- swiftly through a process of public hearings and votes by the committee and the full Council.

Battling Mike Bloomberg - Crain's New York Business
Although newspaper editorial boards and the business community have already lined up behind Mr. Bloomberg, public affairs consultant Corey Bearak says, [Democrats] “running against an oligarchy is not a bad thing. A populist campaign can succeed.”

Bloomberg: Anatomy of a deception - SpinCycle
Video of Mayor Michael Bloomberg in June answering a question on his high-paid butlers' stealth polling on term limits

Candidates Forced To Reassess Because of Term Limits Talk - NYSun
Some candidates running for City Council in 2009 are saying that a push to extend term limits has left them in uncomfortable limbo, as they wait to learn if they face an entrenched incumbent instead of competing for an open seat.

Term Limits Talk Spurs Campaign Finance Board - NYSun
The ripple effect of legalizing a third term for elected officials would affect dozens of races and create previously unexplored challenges to campaign finance laws. Council members who have been raising money under the city's public financing program for a citywide office, such as comptroller or public advocate, could suddenly be faced with the prospect of running for re-election and have to comply with lower spending limits than those in place for citywide candidates.

Top Bloomberg Aide Opposes Third Term - NYSun
Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey...told The New York Sun that he is opposed to talk of a third term for the mayor.

MIKE'S POLL SIZING UP '3RD TERM' - NYPost
Not surprisingly, the poll showed little sentiment among voters for overturning the term-limits law that will force Bloomberg and other city officials to leave office on Dec. 31, 2009.

NO MORE DO-OVERS FOR TERMED-OUT POLS - NYPost
Bloomberg wants to change the rules so he can extend his term as mayor just like Hugo Chavez, who changed the constitution because he was unable to complete his self-serving and ambitious agenda in one term.

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