Mayor Bloomberg has already hired a team of rivals and launched a website, and he now plans to open dozens of campaign offices and launch TV ads as early as April. But a bill headed for a full vote in the state legislature would undo the controversial law passed by the City Council last fall that revised mayoral term limits and allowed Bloomberg to run again in the first place. If it passes (and, at this point, its prospects are unclear), the city will have to hold a public referendum on the issue before May 1. So what would the result of such a vote be? It’s hard to tell, since New Yorkers have been fairly schizophrenic on the issue. In theory, voters are against the extension of term limits, 46 percent to 25 percent, according to a recent Marist poll. And, again, in theory, a majority believe it’s “time to select someone else.” But in practice, these sentiments don’t seem to translate into actually voting against Bloomberg, who comfortably bests all of his mayoral rivals in the same poll. Oh, New York. You are impossible to please.
Bill That Threatens City’s Term-Limit Change Picks Up Support in Albany [NYT]
