Intelligencer

No Good Answer for Quinn’s Question

To extend or not to extend, or even to make a decision.

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By Geoffrey Gray
Published Oct 12, 2008

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(Photo: Patrick McMullan)

Last week, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn dithered on taking a formal position on Mayor Bloomberg’s approach to extending term limits. He thinks the City Council should just vote on it; other council members think it’s better to make any change through a referendum. “It’s pretty absurd,” says Councilman Eric Gioia, who favors a referendum. “You’re telling me you don’t have a position on this bill?” Although Quinn is on record against a change (“I will oppose … any attempt … to make any changes in the term-limits law,” she has said), she’s a close ally of the popular mayor, and another term in the council could be good for her career, giving her time to shore up her reputation after this year’s slush-fund scandal and mount a mayoral run in 2013. Will not taking a position now hurt her in the long run? “By doing what she’s doing, she’s heavily endangered her ability to get elected mayor—ever,” says consultant Norman Adler.