the rewriter

This afternoon, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg signed into law a bill passed two weeks ago by the New York City Council, allowing him to seek a third term next year.  The legislation flew directly in the face of the public will: New Yorkers have voted on several occasions to install and maintain a two term limit for the mayor and city council.  

The mere fact that Bloomberg put his pragmatic reformer bona fides on the line to make this power grab is troubling enough; the part that irks most is the timing: Bloomberg’s announcement, the city council’s vote, and now the bill’s signing have been obviously and transparently timed to coincide with – and be overshadowed by – the final stages of this frenetic presidential election.

Without doubt, there’s much to be said for abolishing term limits in certain circumstances.  A more experienced body of elected officials, versed in the mechanics of government leadership, might theoretically pose a benefit to the general public.  But alas, in this circumstance, that decision shouldn’t have been left to Bloomberg.  He’s rewritten the law around himself and his cronies, and done so by exploiting the massive popularity he so elegantly built these last seven years.  What’s worse, the particular rancid icing on this cake, is that he’s used the financial crisis as an excuse.  Those are Bush-style tactics – I thought Mr. Mayor had renounced that brand of nonsense.

Bloomberg’s actions here should give us pause.  In a democracy, rules apply to everyone, up to and including the rich, the powerful, the gloriously beloved.