Blue Spot

The Associated Press: AP source: New York mayor wants a 3rd term

NEW YORK (AP) — For a long time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg seemed to despise the very notion of changing a voter-approved law restricting elected officeholders to two terms in office.

When a bill reached his desk in 2002 that would have extended the terms for some officials, he vetoed it. He said the proposed law was wrong because elected officials shouldn't be changing rules to benefit themselves politically.

But Bloomberg now appears to have reversed himself. He wants to change the law and run for a third term.

A person who has been briefed on the matter told The Associated Press that Bloomberg will announce Thursday that he will seek to overturn the term-limit law and run for another four years. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hasn't been made.

Bloomberg, a former chief executive officer who started his career on Wall Street, will cite the nation's precarious economic situation as the reason that New York needs a tested financial manager to stay on and guide the city, the person said.

The individual close to the mayor said his plan is to go through the City Council to extend the law to allow a third term because it is too late to get the issue on this year's ballot.

Bloomberg quickly drew the scorn of term-limits supporters. Mark Green, the former city public advocate who lost to Bloomberg in 2001, called the move "an antidemocratic, self-dealing power grab." Green said civic and labor officials had already been talking about mounting a pro-term-limits campaign should Bloomberg seek to overturn the law.

Labels: Bloomberg

Republican presidential candidate John McCain was in my old neighborhood, Bay Ridge, this afternoon to address small business owners, and court Mayor Michael Bloomberg's support.

Bloomberg introduced the Arizona senator before today's economic roundtable discussion.

While the mayor has not formally endorsed any presidential candidate, he has said he would support someone who worked to solve problems and avoided partisan politics -- something that McCain touched upon in his speech.

Labels: Bloomberg, Election 2008, Local, McCain

Bloomberg: no plans for presidential bid

WASHINGTON - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday rejected speculation that his travels to big electoral vote states is part of an effort to test the waters for a presidential bid.

It's "just an accident" that his speeches take him to "big states" where there are a lot of events, Bloomberg told ABC's "Good Morning America."

Bloomberg repeated that he has no plans to run for president in 2008 and said he doesn't want the vice presidency, either. He said he had 890 days left in his mayoral term — "but who's counting" — and would serve them all, which would take him to the end of 2009.

Labels: Bloomberg, Election 2008