Common Cause/New York Calls on City’s Leaders to Rise Above Self-Interest

NEW YORK, NY (10/16/2008)(readMedia)-- In response to testimony introduced at today's heated City Council hearing on the proposal to have the Council extend the voter-approved term limits law from 2 to 3 terms for current office holders, Common Cause/NY issued the following statement in opposition to the proposal.

"Common Cause/ NY believes that the City's democratic tools and procedures are larger than any individuals or organizations. It is these democratic tools that are intended to protect against abuses of power at exactly moments such as this -- moments of great political or economic strain. Revision of the current term limits law is too important, too nuanced, to be rushed through. In this rushed discussion of whether the City Council can act in its own self-interest to pass Initiative 845, the issues relating to term limits and what they have or have not accomplished in New York City is being completely overlooked. What is needed is a broad public discussion initiated and animated by our elected leaders and, if it is determined that action should be taken on term limits, set the wheels in motion to put a proposal on the ballot.

Common Cause has historically opposed term limits for a variety of reasons, and while the process which has brought us to the table here today has been the opposite of an open and deliberate process, we would like to take this opportunity to clearly state that we believe having a discussion about term limits is a good thing for the city. We believe that our elected officials can and will rise to the challenge of acting in the public interest, not their self interest. Nevertheless, we are concerned that the action that is being proposed, and the way in which it has been introduced, undercuts the public confidence in the institution of the Council, and fuels public cynicism of their local government.

We respectfully disagree with former Governor Cuomo. In our system of participatory democracy, the process and its public policy product are of equal importance. How we get to the appropriate policy result matters and strongly influences the perception of whether the action ultimately taken is legitimate or not. This is about the public faith in our City's government, in the Council itself as an institution.

The way this discussion is conducted will greatly impact the public's faith and confidence in their municipal government. While the announcement that Tom Golisano is willing to fund the effort to keep the current term limits law in place may have the effect of slowing or stopping the effort to change term limits by City Council action only, we fear that the level of discourse will not be elevated by the infusion of significant money into the situation. The Council should show they are the leaders New York deserves by engaging the public, giving it time to consider various alternatives and allowing the public to join with their elected officials in crafting the strongest and most effective City government for New York."

The full text of Common Cause/NY Associate Director Chris Keeley's testimony, as submitted to the City Council, can be found at www.commoncause.org/ny.

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