Common Cause Decries NYC Council Approval Of Mayor Bloomberg’s Proposal To Extend Term Limit Legislatively

• by Common Cause of New York

NEW YORK, NY (10/23/2008)(readMedia)-- The actions taken today by the political leadership in the city encourages increased cynicism about the Council and Mayor in the eyes of the city's voters. There is no disputing that an overwhelming majority of the city's voters prefer that any change to the city's term limits law be made through public referenda.

"By actively choosing to circumvent the will of the voters, the city's political class has shown disrespect for voters and disdain for our city's democratic principles," said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/New York. " Today, the Council has given an unnecessary boost to the short-sighted and damaging ‘throw the bums out' approach to term limits that Common Cause/NY has consistently fought to overcome," Lerner concluded.

By approving Mayor Bloomberg's ill-conceived proposal to undermine the city's term limits law through legislative action, with little more than token public hearings, the New York City Council today brings shame upon the democratic principles of our great city.

This was an opportunity for the Council and Mayor to be the leaders New York City deserves, by holding a frank, intellectually honest debate regarding this fundamental matter of our electoral process. Members of the Council and the Mayor chose not to take advantage of this opportunity and instead chose to ignore the will of the people.

In a democratic society, procedures are built into the decision-making process explicitly to guard against abuses of power. When these procedures are not adhered to, as we have seen federally under the Bush Administration, disrepute falls upon the governing body itself. The democratic procedures of our city were treated with disrespect by many in our city's political class over the last few weeks in order to advance their self-interest.

It is important that the public maintain faith in the government and its leadership, just as it is equally important that the government and its leadership maintain faith in the people it serves. The action taken today was a lost opportunity for our city's political leadership to show faith in the very public for which they proclaim to hold in such esteem. If the Mayor now proceeds to appoint a Charter Commission, we hope that the process will be more open and that the Commission will be truly representative and balanced.

-30-