Oct 8, 2008 6:29 am US/Eastern
Light Speed: Bloomberg 3rd Term Fast Tracked
Opponents Of Term Limit Plan Furious, Lawsuits Expected
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Michael Bloomberg, New York City Mayor, testifies about gun control before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime Terrorism and Homeland Security, Washington, DC
AP
Mayor Michael Bloomberg's bill to extend term limits by four years for himself and every other elected official was introduced in the City Council on Tuesday and quickly put on the fast track.
Some said the speed was unprecedented.
Greased lightning is certainly is one way to describe Bloomberg's bill to extend term limits.
The bill was introduced Tuesday. Public hearings are next week and it could be voted on as early as Oct. 23. That's 16 days from now.
Opponents are furious.
"You can't call hearings on a few days notice, fast track your hearings then vote a few days later," Councilman Bill De Blasio, D-Brooklyn. "It's unacceptable. It is, obviously, an effort to not to hear the voices of the people."
Supporters say the rush to move the bill through the City Council is necessary so people can make plans for their political future.
"There are people who have been raising money who want to campaign, whose campaigns have been frozen solid," Councilman Lewis Fidler, D-Brooklyn, said. "We owe it to them to come to a conclusion. They can make decision and run and orderly campaign for mayor, comptroller or for city council."
The chairman of the council's Government Operations Committee, which will hold two days of public hearings, said the speed is so people can speak and be heard.
"This is not a presidential election where people need two and a half years to figure out what they like and don't like," Councilman Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn, said. "People have strong feelings and are very anxious about sharing that with us."
One group with strong feelings is the Working Families party, which on Tuesday staged a demonstration to oppose the move.
"This is about the rules of the game and you don't get to change them at the end of the fourth quarter just because your team wants to keep playing," Working Families Executive Director Dan Cantor said.
And it could go into overtime. Some city councilmen are already threatening lawsuits.
This comes as a deal between Mayor Bloomberg and term limits advocate Ron Lauder not to oppose the extension has reportedly fallen apart.
The mayor plans to speak to Lauder on Wednesday to try to get him back on board.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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