Quinn and Majority of Council to Support Permanent Extension of Term Limits
Speaker delays announcement as concerns linger; Lauder's opposition remains firm
UPDATE: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said that she would not take a position today on legislation set to be introduced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that would permanently revise the city’s term limits law.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the deliberations and the speaker’s thinking said they fully expected her to support legislation extending from two to three the number of terms the city’s elected leaders can serve, and that an announcement could have come as early as today. Quinn told reporters last week that she and the members of her Democratic caucus "would make a final decision Monday."
People with knowledge of Monday's deliberations said that potential opposition from billionaire cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder remained a serious concern, and that the speaker might delay any announcement until Lauder’s objections are resolved. Talks between Lauder and the mayor’s aides have stalled, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
Lauder said in a statement that he would refrain from discussing the matter further until he can speak directly with Bloomberg on Wednesday, when the mayor returns from a trip to
Members of Quinn’s staff met with aides to the mayor Monday night to discuss the provisions of the legislation and work on brokering a truce with Lauder, who could mount a well-financed campaign on the ballot and in the courts to prevent the Council from permanently changing the law.
Multiple sources have confirmed that a majority of the Council supports changing term limits legislatively. Until the mayor released the text of his proposal today, there was considerable uncertainty in the council over whether he and Quinn would support a one-time extension of term limits or a permanent change in the law.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has decided to support legislation that would permanently revise the city’s term limits law, according to people familiar with the deliberations. The announcement could come as early as Tuesday afternoon, at a press conference at City Hall.
The move will all but guarantee passage of the bill, which would allow Mayor Michael Bloomberg and dozens of other elected leaders to run for a third term in 2009. The mayor and a majority of the Council are currently restricted by law to two terms.
Quinn’s decision comes just five days after the mayor’s announcement that he would sign a bill extending from two to three the number of terms the city’s elected officials can serve. The measure supported by Quinn—which has the support of a majority of the Council—will differ from the mayor’s proposal by making the changes permanent. Multiple sources confirmed that a majority of the Council has decided to support a term limits extension.
People with knowledge of the Council’s deliberations Monday said there were lingering concerns over a possible legal challenge by billionaire cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, who has vowed to oppose any attempt to make the changes permanent. Lauder jolted the city’s political world last week by announcing his support for a one-time extension of term limits in order to allow the mayor to run for reelection.
Quinn and her aides were said to be working with the mayor and reaching out to Lauder to assuage his concerns and avoid a costly legal battle.
People with knowledge of the speaker’s plans said it was still possible that she would backtrack and support a temporary change in the law if Lauder remained firm in his opposition.
Soon after the caucus ended, members of Quinn’s staff met with aides to the mayor Monday night to discuss the results of the Council's deliberations and resolve differences between the two proposals, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
There has been considerable confusion among members of the Council since the mayor's announcement last week over whether he and Quinn would seek a permanent change in the law or a one-time extension. Members of the council and their aides huddled around television sets in the east wing of City Hall last week as the mayor made his announcement, and private deliberations were already under way by the time it ended.
People with knowledge of the talks said they were waiting for the speaker to clear up the confusion in Monday's caucus, but that they left still uncertain over which proposal would make it to the floor of the Council. Despite the uncertainty, a majority of the Council has expressed its support for whichever bill the mayor and Quinn introduce.
Sources said it was likely her version of the bill, not the mayor’s, would be introduced at the stated meeting of the Council set for Tuesday. A final vote, however, can only come after the bill goes through a process of hearings.
Maria Alvarado, a spokesperson for Quinn, said the speaker did not express support for the measure in Monday’s caucus meeting, and declined to say when she would announce her decision to the public.
“She did not come out and say, ‘I support the bill,’” Alvarado said. “That was not the intent of today’s caucus. Today was to hear from her Council colleagues, and she heard from a number of them, and she heard from members with varied views on the issue.”
sgentile@cityhallnews.com
