Oct 2, 2008 8:28 pm US/Eastern
NYC's Big Money Has Got Bloomberg's Back
A 'Who's Who' List Of Powerful City Faces Is Pushing Hard To Get The Mayor A Third Term In Office
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Oct. 2 he will try to fight city laws for the right to run for a third term in office. (File)
AP
While Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he wants a third term to steer "every man" out of the economic crisis, it's actually his multi-million dollar peers who seem to be supporting him the most.
It's like the mayor wants to go into a phone booth and come out as Superman, ready to leap into a third term, and plenty of New Yorkers say go for it.
"Absolutely. Four terms, five terms," one man said.
"I think it's brilliant," a woman added. "I wish he could be mayor for life."
There are some, of course, who say two terms are plenty. But big money is backing the change. Doing an about face on the issue is cosmetics mogul Ron Lauder. Also, former Time-Warner chief Dick Parsons and developer/publisher Mort Zuckerman have the mayor's back.
"Well, I think it's good for everybody," Zuckerman told CBS 2 HD.
Zuckerman, who publishes the Daily News and U.S. News and World Report, said the mayor is good for business, for tourism and for education in a very difficult time.
"And I think someone with his experience and his judgment and his ability to get good people to work to manage it would justify his third term," Zuckerman said.
In an open letter in Thursday's newspapers, Zuckerman was one of 30 influential New Yorkers who want Bloomberg to seek a third term. Along with Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, James Tisch, and attorney Candace Beinecke who said, with a troubled economy, we can't have on-the-job training.
"This is a man experienced at the job, in handling a complicated city," Beinecke said. "A business leader, experienced in finance, he has credentials that are hard to find."
Of course, Bloomberg doesn't need big money to finance his campaign. He's bankrolled the first two himself, spending $155 million.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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