Term Limits Debate Gets Its Day In Court

Bloomberg got the City Council to vote against the wishes of the people this past October and extend term limits, but the fight over the issue is hardly over. While the Mayor is still deciding on whether to ask the Feds to give their seal of approval, the courts are looking at whether what the Mayor and Council did was legal. The key question of course is, if the Council can overturn the referendum that the people passed twice in a row without having their consent.

From The NY Times:

Each side tried to make its case, and the judge, Charles P. Sifton, acknowledged how difficult a decision this might be for him.

“We’re talking about different interests,” said Judge Sifton, whose ruling will essentially decide the makeup of the citywide ballot. “It’s difficult to convert into some common denominator.”[...]

Overturning the law extending term limits would most likely cause chaos in the city’s political world, compelling politicians who would be forced out of office to come up with new plans and candidates who had given up running against entrenched officeholders to rethink their strategies.

Judge Sifton, who last month denied a city request to have the case moved to Manhattan and combined with another lawsuit challenging the law, did not set a date for his decision. “I’ll issue a written opinion as fast as I can,” he said.

Sifton certainly has a lot on his plate here. Even though he denied Bloomberg's attempt at making these lawsuits go away faster, the Judge's opinion is far from being known. He is certainly aware of the stakes here and most likely his decision will be appealed one way or the other. Regardless, Sifton represents the judicial branch of government here in the city, and he must act as a check on the Executive and Legislative sides that have clearly run amok of the will of the people.

Whether it be denying Bloomberg outright or demanding a special election (there'll be quite a few coming up for newly-vacated City Council spots anyways), something must be done to stop the travesty committed just two months ago.