If Michael Bloomberg was afraid that he would only be remembered as the guy who shut down Broadway to vehicular traffic, and installed bike lanes where automobiles used to roam, or had a hand in renaming a perfectly named bridge, he can rest easy.
He is halfway to his ultimate legacy. The NY State Assembly, yes THAT NY State Assembly- the hotbed of mature political discourse and upstanding ethics and morality-just passed bill A01224. A Bill that if it passes the Senate ( a real bastion of above board politics), should be named the Michael Bloomberg Law.
If enacted, this law, too late of course for the good citizens of NY City, ensures that term limits that have been passed by referendum only be changed by referendum. To quote the language in the bill:
...In this circumstance, even where one conceptually disagrees with term
limits, the most appropriate mechanism to change the law is to revisit
the issue with the public in a referendum. Otherwise, the integrity of
our democracy is undermined, particularly when elected officials who are
self-interested in the outcome overturn the expressed will of the
voters.
Recently, we have witnessed the corrosive impact that such a legislative
maneuver can have on the democratic process in New York City. In 1993
and 1996, New York City residents voted by referendum to limit the
tenure of municipal officeholders to two terms, or a total of eight
years. Not only did the public express its support for term limits
twice, it did so in considerable fashion.
Nevertheless, in direct contravention of the public will, the New York
City Council passed legislation extending the term limits of municipal
officeholders to a total of twelve years. The voters, understandably,
reacted with outrage and felt relegated to the sidelines of the public
square even though their opinions had been clearly expressed on two
occasions.
There you go Mike, this addition to election law should definitely carry your name. How else will we remember the most important part of your legacy? If you have money, and you want something enough just do whatever it takes to get it. Who can run against the Bloomberg war chest AND the attendant media coverage a sitting Mayor enjoys?
Michael Bloomberg, Subverter of Democracy.
Stay tuned for an artist's rendering.........
2 comments:
As you know it is always about what a bill is called. How can you get it named the Michael Bloomberg Bill!! you have to use it in a few letters to your state Reps. I wonder how this can go completely unchallenged in the courts?!
Well said. lets hear it for Mayor Moron!
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