Oct 22, 2008 7:40 pm US/Eastern
Teachers Out To Torpedo Bloomberg Term Limits Plan
Group Hopeful Judge Will Put Stop To City Council Vote
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg's bid to stay in office for a third term could be a step closer to reality. The City Council will vote Thursday on Bloomberg's proposal to change term limits law. (File)
CBS
It's been a day of frantic last-minute attempts to prevent Mayor Michael Bloomberg from going for a third term. But the City Council is still set to vote Thursday on the proposal to extend term limits from eight to 12 years.
Bloomberg walked out of City Hall on Wednesday, carefully avoiding a press conference by three city councilmen who want to torpedo a vote on his bill to get a third term.
But he couldn't avoid a federal suit filed Wednesday by teachers who want to do the same thing.
"If he wants to run for the third term it should be put into practice from the people not from the Council," Thomasina Robinson said.
"We hope that the City Council will do their duty and vote no so that the people will have the final word and vote on whether we need to extend the limits," Josephina Cruz added.
The teachers are hoping a federal judge will hold a hearing Thursday morning and agree to stop the City Council from voting. They want a public referendum on term limits. Attorney Edward Fagan will argue the case in court.
"It violates people's due process rights. It violates people's voting rights and it changes then law in an unconstitutional way," Fagan said.
Bloomberg prevailed in another court challenge on Wednesday. A Manhattan judge denied a motion by Council members Bill DeBlasio and Letitia James to stop the vote.
Almost lost in all the efforts to derail the bill were a group of Latino businessmen who want third terms for Mayor Bloomberg, 35 City Councilmen and other elected officials.
"We want experienced politicians who know our situations," said Nelson Eusebio of the National Supermarkets Association. "We want them to keep working with us."
With so many challenges the big question is will the mayor will prevail?
"I am very optimistic that the mayor's bill will pass tomorrow and what that will mean in these sadly toughest of fiscal times, really the worst we've ever seen since the Great Depression, New Yorkers will have the option of choosing and keeping consistent leadership," City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.
Twenty-six of the 51 Council members will have to support the bill for it to pass. It will take the same number of no votes for it to be defeated.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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