David Yassky currently seems the most targeted of the Bloomberg 29 (personally I would like to see Recchia and Quinn get more heat for their ass kissing of Tsar Bloomberg). I already posted a statement from Ken Diamondstone criticizing Yassky and making it pretty clear Diamondstone was still planning on running for the 33rd City Council seat, even if Yassky is still hanging on.
Now Jo Anne Simon, another declared candidate in the 33rd race, has issued a statement:
Should term limits be extended? Are two terms simply insufficient for the executive and the legislature to accomplish what each does best? Is the current financial crisis truly that rarest of situations where the law should be set aside to effectuate a result propounded by one person (the mayor) but likely to benefit several incumbent interests, such as city council members (who had the up or down vote), borough presidents and other, city-wide elected officials?
New Yorkers differ about the answers.
But last week, a rare thing happened. Nearly 90% of New Yorkers agreed on one thing - that the City Council should not make this decision as a body, but should submit the question to a public referendum.
As I have stated consistently for some time (well, since 1993...), term limits are not the cure for what ails the public about elected officials. Term limits don’t keep special interest money out of politics, they don’t "dis-entrench" entrenched interests, they don’t necessarily bring the citizens of New York City a more focused, dedicated and accountable elected official; indeed, the opposite seems to have occurred. Term limits has increased the likelihood that officials facing the inevitability of a final term begin eyeing their next race very early in their terms. A vigorous public debate about the merits of term limits might have revealed what, if any, adjustments would better serve the public’s welfare and perhaps be more finely tuned to New York’s needs and concerns.
Unfortunately, last week’s vote in the City Council is destined to produce only one thing - the further erosion of trust in our elected officials. It was a sad day for democracy.
Simon avoids direct criticism of Yassky and doesn't indicate whether she will challenge Yassky (or maybe back a challenger to Yassky?). But it suggests she is considering it.
