Judge clears way for Bloomberg to run again in NY
3:57pm EST, By Edith Honan
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York
City Council had the legal right to extend term limits for itself
and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday,
clearing an obstacle for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to seek a third
term.
The judge dismissed a civil rights lawsuit filed by elected
officials who opposed the new law. However Bloomberg still faces a
potential barrier from a state legislator who is seeking to pass a
law that might stop the mayor from running again. |
In November, Bloomberg signed a law
increasing the term limit for elected officials to three 4-year terms
from two, overturning two public referendums, held in 1993 and 1996,
that imposed the two-term limit.
Bloomberg, a former Wall Street trader and self-made billionaire who was
elected mayor in 2001 and in 2005, has argued that the extraordinary
financial crisis requires a person of his experience, so he decided to
help overturn the referendums and run again this year.
A group of elected officials and voters filed suit in Brooklyn federal
court to stop Bloomberg, saying the new law denied voters "meaningful
participation in the political process."
In a 64-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Charles Sifton found that city
law does not limit the City Council's "ability to overturn or modify
laws passed by referendum."
"As a result, each subsequent enactment takes priority over previous
ones, regardless of the source," the ruling said.
Randy Mastro, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, said he would consult with
his clients before deciding whether to appeal.
"We certainly believe there are grounds for an appeal," he said. "We
believe strongly that what our elected officials did was illegal."
Michael Cardozo, the city's chief lawyer, said the ruling "upheld the
City Council's extension of term limits and allowed the voters of this
city the opportunity to elect officials of their choosing."
Meanwhile, New York State Assemblyman Hakim Jeffries has reintroduced a
bill he offered in the last legislative session to require a voter
referendum on the issue.
A spokeswoman for Jeffries said he was confident the bill would
eventually be brought to a vote.
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