NYC Mayor's Bid For 3rd Term Goes To Vote

(AP) Mayor Michael Bloomberg's political future was riding on the outcome of a highly anticipated vote in the City Council on Thursday as the body was set to take up his proposal to change city law so that he could have the chance at a third term.

Earlier Thursday, the bill cleared the governmental operations committee by a vote of 6-0 and will now go before the full 51-member body for a vote, despite a last-minute court challenge from opponents seeking to block the council from voting. The measure changes the law by giving officeholders the option of a third consecutive four-year term.

At last count, 23 members said they would vote against the proposal, 19 said they support it, and the rest had not publicly stated a position. But the fact that Council Speaker Christine Quinn put the vote on the agenda is typically a sign that she has the 26 votes she needs to pass a bill she supports.

Quinn said Wednesday that she is "very optimistic" the legislation will pass.

The term-limits proposal sparked a short but loud and contentious debate ever since the billionaire mayor announced his plans to seek re-election three weeks ago.

Opponents said the mayor was going over the heads of voters, who twice approved term limits in the 1990s. Many said they did not disagree with his goal to add a third term option, but found fault with the way he went about it.

Bloomberg, whose wealth is estimated at $20 billion, has argued that his business background as founder of the financial data firm Bloomberg LP makes him the best leader to help the city weather the turmoil on Wall Street.

The committee held two hearings last week on the fast-tracked legislation, with testimony lasting several hours. A poll this week found that registered voters overwhelmingly believe the public should have a say on the matter, and not the council.

On Wednesday, three council members who say they are undecided on Bloomberg's bill announced they will introduce an amendment at the Thursday meeting that essentially rewrites the legislation and seeks to have the term limits issue decided by voter referendum.

The measure would establish a charter review commission with the intention of holding a special election by next spring.

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