Urbanite

Bloomberg, Thompson square off on taxes, schools

Tuesday October 27, 2009 8:41 PM By Jason Fink

In their final debate before next week’s election, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and city Comptroller Bill Thompson tussled over taxes, education and the new Yankee Stadium Tuesday night night.

Neither man landed a knock-out punch, though there were several barbed exchanges: Thompson twice accused Bloomberg of lying, while the mayor insisted his opponent would raise taxes.

Both argued over whether the city was affordable to the middle class, with Thompson suggesting the billionaire mayor cannot relate to the average New Yorker.

“Everybody realizes that the mayor is out of touch with the people he represents,” Thompson said.

Bloomberg, in turn, said most people he meets on the subway and on the streets do not view him that way.

“It’s very easy to say, ‘I feel your pain,’” Bloomberg said. “That’s not what we need. We need people who are actually going to do something to make this city better.”

The pressure was on Thompson — who trails Bloomberg by 16 points in a recent poll — to leave a lasting impression on the electorate, whose interest in the race has been spotty.

The questions focused largely on the economy and education, with only one brief exchange over Bloomberg’s push to extend term limits, which Thompson vehemently opposed.

The most testy exchanges came when Thompson accused Bloomberg of “cooking the books” at the Department of Education and compared his stewardship of the schools to Enron.

Bloomberg said Thompson would implement “job-killing taxes” and assailed his tenure as president of the Board of Education.

One question, asked by a New Yorker interviewed by a reporter for ABC, which hosted the debate, concerned the taxpayer-financed bonds used for the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, where the World Series begins Wednesday.

Bloomberg called it a wise investment that would yield more parkland for neighborhood residents, while Thompson lambasted the deal as a “giveaway.”

In one of the more unusual moments of the night, each man was asked to give the other a grade. Thompson, laughing awkwardly, said he would “be kind” and give the mayor a D-.
Bloomberg declined to give a grade but offered his opponent a rare compliment.

“I think Bill has actually been a reasonably good comptroller,” he said. “It has been a pleasure working with him.”

Thompson's response on gay rights riles activists

Wednesday October 14, 2009 9:05 PM By Emily Ngo

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and challenger Bill Thompson faceoff on Tuesday. (Photo: AP)

A lightning-round question during Tuesday night’s face-off between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and challenger Bill Thompson has ignited a stormy debate among gay rights activists. 

Asked whether they believe President Barack Obama has done enough for gay rights, Bloomberg answered “no.” Thompson, the city comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate, hesitated, sighed that Obama had only been in office for "nine months" and answered “yes.”
 
Some pundits argued that Thompson was trying to adhere to party lines, but Log Cabin Republicans spokesman Gregory Angelo on Wednesday asked, “Why all of the sudden is Thompson so beholden to a president who won’t mention him by name?”

Angelo, whose group represents gay Republicans and has endorsed Bloomberg for mayor, called Thompson’s response “truly offensive.”

Despite promises to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the president hasn’t delivered, Angelo said.

The debate came fresh on the heels of a massive weekend march that brought tens of thousands to Washington, D.C., in support of gay rights. 

The format of the question itself was disappointing, said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda. “A question of civil rights surely is more important than a yes or no question.” 

The Stonewall Democrats, a liberal LGBT group that gave Thompson the nod for mayor, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

emily.ngo@am-ny.com

Mayoral race: It doesn't cost millions to advertise on YouTube

Monday May 4, 2009 3:32 PM By Ryan Chatelain

By Ryan Chatelain

YouTube was an important tool in last year’s presidential campaign. Nationally televised debates fielded questions from voters asked via YouTube videos. Tech savvy candidates posted videos and messages. (OK, maybe they had their tech savvy people do it for them, but you get the point.)

This year’s mayoral election is arguably the first of the YouTube era. While technically YouTube was around when Michael Bloomberg won his second term in 2005, the video Web site was in its infancy then.

Today, YouTube is a full-fledged cultural phenomenon, and some candidates are taking full advantage of the low-cost way of reaching potential voters.

Here are some videos from this year’s hopefuls. (In case you’re wondering, there are no videos from U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner because he is still deciding whether he’ll run.)

Newark Mayor Cory Booker endorses Michael Bloomberg, the independent running on the Republican ticket. Then our mayor promptly thanks Booker by declaring, “We have the most wonderful city in the world!”

City Councilman Tony Avella is running for mayor because he’s “mad as hell.” But he hasn’t posted a new campaign video since this welcome message for his Web site in February 2008.

Green Party candidate/performance artist/community activist Reverend Billy Talen unveils his remake of “New York, New York,” in which he and supporters sing, “Start spreading the wealth. I’m hoping to stay.”

Reverend Billy: Watch out, Mike, I'm coming for your job

Sunday March 1, 2009 3:15 PM By Ryan Chatelain

"Reverend Billy" Talen appears at a public hearing in Coney Island in July. (Photo by Getty)

By Ryan Chatelain

Critics may argue that politics is already full of showmen. “Reverend Billy” Talen is OK with that label.

Dressed in a royal blue suit and clerical collar, Talen, known for combining community activism and theater, colorfully jumped into the mayoral race yesterday as the Green Party candidate. At a Union Square rally, dozens listened as he denounced Mayor Michael Bloomberg as an executive who is running the city as a corporation that is too focused on tourism, Wall Street and real estate.

“The trouble is, Mike, those are all bubble economies that are extremely down at this point,” Talen said. “They have been attacking our neighborhoods. However, the neighborhoods that stayed away from Mike’s bubble economies are strong.”An e-mail yesterday to Howard Wolfson, Bloomberg’s campaign spokesman, received no response by press time.

Talen, 56, earned his reputation over the past two decades as a community activist who has taken on consumerism, most namely the Times Square Disney Store and Wal-Mart. He was featured in the 2007 Morgan Spurlock documentary “What Would Jesus Buy?” — about the commercialism of Christmas.

Reverend Billy is the leader of an activist performance group named the Church of Life After Shopping, which has been known to perform exorcisms at Starbucks stores.

Voters will likely question how seriously they can take a mayoral candidate who has a stage name and a costume. Nevertheless, Talen earned the endorsement of city Green Party leaders.

“We agree there’s a tradition of folk heroes running for office — Norman Mailer, Jimmy Breslin — and that’s how we look at Reverend Billy Talen,” said Gloria Mattera, Green Party spokeswoman. “His work, his commitment is completely in sync with the Green Party’s platform.”

Before he appears on the ballot, Talen must raise $250,000 in matching campaign finance funds and collect 7,500 signatures from registered voters.

Gotham grit meets Euro flair

Sunday January 25, 2009 2:56 PM By Ryan Chatelain

By Ryan Chatelain and David Freedlander

It may sound like Europe, but it’s actually the new New York City, a dramatic and pristine departure from the grit that defined city streets for decades. For the past seven years, the Bloomberg administration has been bringing its vision for public spaces to life, one that will profoundly shape the way people live and move about the city.

“I really believe you can measure the health of a city by the vitality of its streets and public spaces,” said Amanda Burden, the city’s planning commissioner. “In the end, that’s what draws people to a city. That’s what makes people fall in love with a city.”

Burden admits she has been inspired by life across the pond. She’s worked to adopt Copenhagen’s emphasis on public spaces, Paris’ penchant for sidewalk cafes and Barcelona’s renewed commitment to its waterfronts. Access to New York’s shorelines was largely limited by port activity, which declined throughout the 1900s.The Bloomberg administration is also working to double bicycle transportation by 2015. A bike-sharing program in Manhattan was launched for five days last July, and the city is aiming to add 1,000 bike racks each year.

And if other recent additions to New York’s streetscape seem familiar – namely bus shelters, shiny newsstands and high-tech public toilets – that’s because the city hired a Spanish design company, Cemusa, to install street furniture. Cemusa also has contracts in dozens of European cities, including Madrid, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Milan, Italy.

In addition, the city is converting an abandoned elevated railroad on the West Side into the High Line park, a project reminiscent of Paris’ Promenade Plantée.

But opinion is divided over whether this new Big Apple is necessarily a good thing.

“There is a kind of mono-cultural aesthetic that everything is being made too coordinated and the style is this kind of glass and chrome where everything looks like a condo,” said Jeremiah Moss, who runs the blog Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York.

“It’s nice to have a place to sit, but it feels too antithetical to what a city is supposed to be, which is chaotic and organic and wild and hard to tame.”

Some New Yorkers have looked at the changes with a skeptical eye.

“Those seats in the middle and with all the planters — people are going to get run over,” said John Burke, 50, an elevator mechanic who works in the city as he looked at the “Broadway Esplanade” near 34th Street. “I’ll bet they take them out as soon as someone gets run over.”

Burden maintains that the Bloomberg administration is adamant about protecting the city’s character, relying on mixed-use zoning to preserve neighborhoods’ “small-town texture.”

Rob Pirani, director of environmental programs at the Regional Plan Association, an independent planning group, said he applauds Bloomberg’s efforts to create a more pedestrian-friendly city, especially along its waterfronts.

“Urban development is like buying a pair of shoes,” he said. “Most urban redevelopment fits great, feels right, after it’s been worn a little bit. I think that’s certainly true in New York City, where as time goes by, places develop in subtle but important ways that make them part of neighborhood.”

Mayor wants to spend $10 billion to create jobs

Thursday January 15, 2009 8:00 AM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out a plan for creating jobs that includes a slew of new spending, even as the city steep record deficits.

In his eighth state of the city address, delivered at Brooklyn College, Bloomberg is proposing $10 billion in public works spending, including a new police precinct in Staten Island, a $100 million renovation of the Hunts Point produce terminal and a new beer distribution facility in Red Hook.

Bloomberg also proposed surveillance cameras in high-crime areas, special police monitoring of the top 12 quality of life offenders in each borough and a host of new restrictions against gun dealers.

Bloomberg also vowed to enact legislation to require existing buildings to improve energy efficiency, which he said would be the nations first such law.

"The city will create its own green jobs by investing 900 million over the next nine years to retrofit city schools, hospitals, and other buildings with new energy systems. That work will support 1,000 jobs in the construction industry, save tax taxpayers money and help us meet our goal of reducing city govt's carbon footprint 30 percent by 2017."

City Council votes to hike property taxes by 7 percent

Thursday December 18, 2008 1:55 PM By Scott A. Rosenberg

BY JASON FINK

The City Council Thursday night voted to raise property taxes by 7 percent, part of a package of budget measures aimed at cutting a projected $1.2 billion deficit over the next year and half.

The mayor’s office also agreed to release the $400 property tax rebates it had resisted sending out, ending a standoff with council members who insisted the administration was legally obligated to mail the checks.Critics blasted the tax plans as a bad deal for homeowners and a burden on citizens still reeling from a slew of new taxes announced this week by Gov. David Paterson.

“The people have been taxed enough,” said Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn). “It’s like, ‘here’s your $400 and now you’re going to give it right back because you have a 7 percent tax hike.”

The average homeowner will see an increase of about $118 for the remaining six months of the fiscal year. The increase will raise about $600 million, city officials said.

Supporters of the tax hike, which passed 33-18, said it was necessary to plug a gap that has only grown as the economy has soured.

“Nobody wants to vote on property tax increases,” said Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis), the chairman of the Finance Committee. “This is the responsible thing to do.”

Also Thursday, Bloomberg announced July’s police class would be cut to 250 from about 1,000 cadets, and that January’s class, which the administration initially sought to cancel, will also be 250.

Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Astoria), chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said that combined with attrition, the cuts will mean a force of about 33,000, the lowest level since 1991.

“Our residents should be very afraid,” he said. “These cuts will absolutely result in more crime.”

Marc LaVorgna, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said the department had shown it could keep crime down with fewer officers.

“The police department has a proven ability to do more with less,” said LaVorgna, who did not address the figures Vallone cited.

The council also voted to increase the hotel tax by 0.876 percent, raising the average $300 room rate by an extra $2.62 per night.

City may be in for even tougher fiscal times

Tuesday October 28, 2008 1:45 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

With the state facing its largest budget deficit ever and Wall Street still hurting, New Yorkers may be forced to accept even deeper city spending cuts than originally proposed by the mayor.

“It may be turning out even worse than what the city was saying,” said Charles Brecher, research director of the Citizens Budget Commission, a non-profit group that monitors the city’s finances. “In times like this there’s going to be shared burdens, people are going to pay more taxes and have reduced services.”

In June, Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked all city departments to reduce their spending by 2.5 percent this year and 5 percent next year. But since then, the city’s financial sector has suffered heavy losses and tax revenues are expected to decline into next year.“There’s no question there’s going to be major cuts to services,” said Councilman David Weprin, chairman of the council’s Finance Committee.

Weprin said he expects the mayor’s office to give his committee its quarterly budget projections next week.

At a news conference yesterday, Bloomberg said he expects tax revenue to be down 10 to 12 percent. That’s twice the drop anticipated in the June budget, according to Doug Turetsky, chief of staff for the city’s Independent Budget Office.

“We prepared for a downturn; we didn’t prepare for a meltdown,” Bloomberg said.

Making matters worse, Gov. David Paterson announced toay that the state is looking at a $12.5 billion deficit, its largest ever.

A spokesman for Bloomberg declined to discuss what specific cuts or new taxes might come, but he noted the mayor’s budgets this year and next already anticipated about $4 billion in cuts. A recent 7 percent reduction in property taxes is also likely to be canceled.

The spokesman, Marc LaVorgna, said spending aimed at keeping streets clean, police protection and cultural institutions would not be on the chopping block.

“The quality of life in the city has to be maintained,” he said.

Bloomberg says a call from the White House is unlikely

Monday October 27, 2008 2:03 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

Will it be Mr. Bloomberg goes to Washington?

Fresh off a big victory in the contentious term limits battle, in which he won the right to run for a third four-year term, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked today if he would take a cabinet position in either a Barack Obama or John McCain administration.

“Never say never,” Bloomberg said with a grin, before noting that he wanted to keep his current job by running for re-election in November 2009.Bloomberg wrote an essay in the current issue of Newsweek, in which he offered advice to the next president on dealing with the economic crisis, prompting speculation – not for the first time – that he was hoping for a cabinet position, presumably Treasury Secretary.

“It is very unlikely that whoever gets elected, they will call me and say, ‘the country needs you,’” Bloomberg said during a press conference at City Hall Park. “If he were to do so I think I would try to dissuade him.”

Bloomberg, a billionaire who switched his party registration from Democrat to Republican to run for mayor seven years ago and is now an independent, said he hoped the next president would pick someone with Washington experience to run the Treasury Department, preferably one who had done the job before.

Bloomberg also addressed a report that he would seek to run for re-election on the Democratic Party line on next year’s ballot, calling such a possibility “unlikely.”

Three Democrats are already in the race and will presumably face off in the 2009 primary: City Comptroller William Thompson, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn) and City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Queens).

Bloomberg twice won election on the Republican ticket.

City residents get 105 new chances to recycle

Monday October 27, 2008 1:43 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

New Yorkers will now have more chances to recycle, thanks to a city program that will put an additional 105 recycling bins in 33 new public places throughout the five boroughs.

The bins – green for newspapers and magazines and blue for bottles and cans – will be placed mostly in parks and at busy intersections. The Sanitation Department will pick them up during its regular routes."All new locations are in areas heavily trafficked by pedestrians," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference this morning.

The city paid about $50,000 for the bins.

Third-term-enamored Bloomberg runs afoul of Alec Baldwin

Monday October 27, 2008 12:39 PM By Rolando Pujol

By Jason Fink

Add movie star (and outspoken Democrat) Alec Baldwin to the list of New Yorkers who object to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's successful push to overturn the city's term limits law.

In an online column for the Huffington Post, the famously mercurial leading man decries the notion that the economic crisis presents a special circumstance that justifies reversing two public referendums on the issue.

"This [City Council] vote leaves me wondering a few things. One is that supporters of Bloomberg's move argue that New York is in crisis and only Bloomberg, with his business acumen and experience in office, can serve effectively as mayor now. Do they suggest that Bloomberg would withhold his insights and assistance on behalf of New Yorkers unless the law is changed? Negate the will of the voters or Bloomberg won't play ball? What kind of public servant says that?"

Baldwin has never been shy about expressing his political opinions, routinely coming down on the opposite side of the spectrum from his conservative brother, Stephen.

He appeared on "Saturday Night Live recently" in a skit denouncing Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who made a guest a appearance.

Photo: AP

Mayoral race still going strong after term limits vote

Sunday October 26, 2008 2:33 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

Two top contenders for mayor next year confirmed today that they will push ahead despite the radically altered political landscape created by Mayor Michael Bloomberg winning the right to run for a third term.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn) and city Comptroller William Thompson both said they plan to stay in the race. The two would face off in a Democratic primary.

A potential third Democratic candidate, Councilman Tony Avella (D-Flushing), could not be reached for comment today.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who once considered running for Bloomberg’s job, will instead seek re-election to her council seat, her office said.Quinn, a Bloomberg ally, led the fight to change the term limits for citywide office holders to three four-year terms from two, a move that overturned two public referendums.

Meanwhile, the fight over term limits is moving to its newest battleground: The courts.

Two lawsuits were filed last week - one in federal court and one in state court - seeking to force a referendum. Another suit will likely be filed this week, said Norman Siegel, a civil rights attorney who is running for public advocate. He said he believes that it was unconstitutional for the City Council to agree to extend term limits.

“It’s an open legal question,” Siegel said today. “You can’t let what happened go unchallenged.”

That suit would likely be merged with one filed Wednesday by 10 public school teachers who charge that overturning the law without a referendum violates voters’ civil rights. Two council members filed a separate suit last week claiming the council had a conflict of interest in voting for something that so directly affects them.

A Bloomberg spokesman, Stu Loeser, said the mayor has not begun a re-election campaign but that it is his “intention” to run for a third term.

“We obviously believe the council had a right to pass this bill and the lawsuits will work their way through the courts,” Loeser said.

Bloomberg, a billionaire who changed his political affiliation to Republican from Democrat seven years ago and is now an independent, will not participate in the public financing system, according to his office.

Mike's economic advice for the next president

Sunday October 26, 2008 11:24 AM By Rolando Pujol

By Jason Fink

He's gearing up for a run at a third term following his victory on a controversial term limits extension law but Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also playing economic adviser to the next president - whoever that may be.

In an essay to be published in Newsweek magazine and posted online yesterday, Bloomberg gives some free advice about how to handle the current financial crisis.

Bloomberg, who has often spoken of the difficult choices New York will have to make as the economy sours, suggests long-term investment in infrastructure as way to create jobs and, well, because we need it.

"Americans recognize the need for greater infrastructure investment, and from my experience in New York, they are willing to pay for it, if — and this is a big if — they can be sure their money will be spent improving their ... communities, not improving some legislator's re-election chances," the mayor writes.

He also suggests pursuing alternative forms of energy, reforming immigration laws to encourage foreign students to study here and spending more on math and science education.Of course, all that will cost money and the billionaire mayor says that may mean taxes, specifically the estate tax, a topic that may one day be near and dear to the hearts of members of his own family.

"If we have any hope of balancing the budget, the alternative minimum tax cannot be entirely eliminated. In addition, demand for revenue will necessitate bringing back the estate tax — because it makes too much sense. It will both raise revenue and encourage more wealthy Americans to donate to charity."

Bloomberg is one of several public figures the magazine has asked to write essays -- in the form of email memos -- to whoever is the next resident of the White House. His topic was the economy.

City Council hands Mayor Michael Bloomberg a term limits victory

Thursday October 23, 2008 3:26 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

Mike reigns again.

In a 29-22 vote, the City Council on Thursday handed Mayor Michael Bloomberg a victory when it passed a bill to extend term limits, clearing the way for the billionaire to seek another four years in office.

Council members were interrupted several times by jeers and boos from the second-floor public gallery as they cast their votes to allow all citywide office holders to have three terms in office instead of the current two. The vote overturns two public referendums held in the 1990s.

“The majority of the city council decided to give the people of New York a fuller choice in the November 2009 election. I believe that was the right choice,” Bloomberg said in a statement.About a half-an-hour after the vote ended, there was a brief commotion outside City Hall as Bloomberg walked out to a waiting car and a throng of people ran after him, shouting, “sell out” and “Bloomberg hates New York.”

“Get in your limousine and get the hell out of town!” shouted David Galarza, president of the Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors in Brooklyn.

Passions ran high on both sides throughout the afternoon, though opponents of the mayor’s bill were the more vocal.

“You will all be voted out of office for this,” thundered Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), a mayoral candidate, before casting his vote no.

Councilman Bill de Blasio (D-Brooklyn), a vociferous critic of the bill who led an unsuccessful court challenge seeking to have the vote killed, said the council was “stealing like a thief in the night their (constituents) right to democracy.”

The measure will now go to Bloomberg, who is not currently affiliated with any political party, for his signature.

Bloomberg and dozens of other elected officials who would have been forced out of office next year due to term limits will now be eligible to run again, changing the political landscape for a number of candidates.

Before voting on the legislation, the council rejected an amendment that would have forced a public referendum to decide the matter. That vote was 28 against and 22 in favor, with one abstention.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn told members she believes extending term limits will “increase voter choice” and offered that if voters are unhappy with the new law they can vote their elected officials out of office next year.

Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), who voted against the bill, injected some humor into the discussions, invoking his barber, Jimmy, whom he likened to Joe the Plumber, the Ohio man made famous by Sen. John McCain in the last presidential debate.

“Jimmy the barber asked me, ‘what are you guys doing down there?’” Gioia said.

Not to be outdone, Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx) said his mother called him last week and begged him to allow her to vote for Bloomberg again.

Update: Bloomberg wins fight to extend term limits

Thursday October 23, 2008 12:40 PM By Lauren Johnston

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York City Council has approved Mayor

Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to change term-limits law, clearing

the way for the billionaire independent to run for a third term.

By a vote of 29-22, the council passed the bill that gives

officeholders the option of three consecutive four-year terms.

Existing law limits them to two terms, and Bloomberg’s concludes at

the end of next year.

Bloomberg announced his plans to seek re-election just three

weeks ago.

Breaking: Committee passes term-limit bill; full Council votes this afternoon

Thursday October 23, 2008 6:38 AM By Lauren Johnston

The City Council Committee on Goverment Operation headed by Councilman Simcha Felder. (Dave Sanders)

By Jason Fink

The New York City Council governmental operations committee this morning unanimously passed a bill that would extend term limits for the mayor and other city officials. There are six members on the committee. The full 51-member City Council is scheduled to vote on the bill this afternoon.

"This is one of the toughest decisinos I have ever made in my entire life," said Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. before casting his vote. " A two-term limit hurts this city," he said.

Committee Chairman Simcha Felder said he did not believe the vote was a move designed specifically to bolster Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose office put the bill on the agenda.

"Many have tried to make this issue about one man," Felder said. "I think the mayor has been very effective in office, but that has nothing to do with the matter before us," he said.

Legalize prostitution in New York City, some suggest

Wednesday October 22, 2008 4:34 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink and Marlene Naanes

Ban indoor smoking. Cut trans fat. But to some New Yorkers, sex for sale may be OK.

As San Franciscans prepare to head to the polls next month to decide whether prostitution should be decriminalized, some in New York said Wednesday that a similar idea in Gotham may make the trade safer and free police to crack down on other crimes.

“Sex is in this country is really taboo,” said Julia Rich, 21, or Park Slope. “If it’s more out in the open then we could find ways to organize that business. It would help the women and it would help police.”Advocates for the ballot measure in San Francisco say the police will free up $11 million a year they would have otherwise spent arresting prostitutes. However, one local criminal justice expert said legalization would not have the same impact here. In New York the NYPD often targets sex workers only in response to specific complaints from citizens, according to Eugene O’Donnell, a professor of law and police studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan.

“It’s almost always that there’s a clamor, there’s people screaming, ‘Get this off the streets, it’s near the schools,’” O’Donnell said. “There is no war on prostitution the way there is a war on drugs.”

NYPD officials yesterday failed to provide details on its efforts targeting prostitution. A spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg declined to comment on the issue.

While no major U.S. city has legalized prostitution, more than two dozen foreign countries and two states - Nevada and Rhode Island - permit it in some form.

Sienna Baskin, an attorney for the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center, said there’s no doubt prostitutes would see an immediate improvement in their lives if the sale of sex was legalized in New York.

“People are cycling through the system and getting a longer and longer criminal record and that makes it tougher to leave the sex trade business,” Baskin said.

Trinia James, 39, of the Lower East Side, agreed that the pros may outweigh the cons.

“If they’re already doing it, why not make it legal and not just keep locking them up all the time,” James said. “That way they \[the police\] can spend more time on other crimes.”

However, some New Yorkers were strongly opposed to promoting the world’s oldest profession, fearing the greater impact it may have.

“Children would look at that and they would see it’s legal and they would think they could make a lot of money doing that,” said Denelle Walton, 25, Crown Heights.

“I have a little boy and a lot of nieces and nephews,” said Raj Madho, 35, of Queens Village, “so that helps shape my opinion.”

Asked if legalization could potentially lead to increased tax revenue, Madho said she would prefer City Hall to find money somewhere else.

“Coming from a religious background, using that kind of money, they say it has a curse on it,” she said.

Bloomberg term limits turmoil continues

Wednesday October 22, 2008 9:10 AM By Lauren Johnston

(Dave Sanders)

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn council members Bill de Blasio and Letitia James went to

court Wednesday to block Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to change the city’s term-limits law so that he can run for a third four-year term.

The pair filed a petition asking the court to stop a scheduled council vote to

increase the number of terms the mayor and current council members may serve.The two lawmakers want the court to declare that the vote to

allow a third term in office for its own members, as well as

Bloomberg, would violate the city’s conflict of interest law.

The vote is scheduled for Thursday. A hearing on the issue was

scheduled for later Wednesday before state Supreme Court Justice

Jacquelyn Silbermann.

Randy Mastro, lawyer for the two petitioners, said his clients

oppose the proposed term-limits vote “as a matter of deeply held

principle.”

The petition names the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board and

the council as defendants.

The board wrote an opinion last week concluding that it was not

a conflict for council members to vote on term limits changes for

themselves and the mayor.

Jamie McShane, a spokesman for council Speaker Christine Quinn,

who supports Bloomberg’s proposal, noted Wednesday that the panel

issued a “strong and decisive opinion.”

“We are confident the court will agree that this lawsuit is

entirely without merit,” McShane said.

Two-thirds of the council members will be forced out of office

next year under the existing law, which restricts the mayor,

council members and other city officeholders to two consecutive

four-year terms. The mayor’s proposal would add the option for a

third term.

Bloomberg announced his intentions late last month after several

weeks of turmoil on Wall Street, arguing that he is uniquely

qualified to lead the city through the financial crisis because of

his business background. The founder of the multibillion-dollar

financial data firm Bloomberg LP, the mayor is reported to be worth

an estimated $20 billion.

The petitioners’ court papers note that Bloomberg had previously

expressed his support for term limits.

“Then, when the recent crisis in New York and worldwide

financial markets unfolded, Mayor Bloomberg seized on the

opportunity to make public his private desire to amend the term

limits laws” so he and some council members could stay in office,

court papers say.

Bloomberg’s first-ever veto when he took office in 2002 was to

reject a council bill that sought to extend terms for some

lawmakers. At the time, he said the proposed law was wrong because

it amounted to changing the rules for personal political gain.

Billionaire is latest to oppose Mayor Mike Bloomberg's term limits bill

Monday October 20, 2008 3:39 PM By Mae Cheng

By Jason Fink

jason.fink@am-ny.com

It may just take a fellow billionaire to stop Mayor Michael Bloomberg from claiming a third term in office.

Businessman and Buffalo Sabres owner Thomas Golisano announced Monday he doesn’t believe the law limiting officeholders to two terms should be changed without voter approval.

Golisano, who has an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, will even go as far as to finance an opposition campaign that will include newspaper advertisements and likely radio and television spots.

“The people have the right and deserve the opportunity to make this decision,” Golisano said.Bloomberg said he welcomes Golisano’s voice in the debate, but even his staunchest allies admitted Monday that the latest opposition would make for a tough battle.

“It’s going to be harder,” said former Mayor Ed Koch, who was among the first to support Bloomberg’s decision to run again.

City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), an opponent of a council bill extending term limits to three terms, said Golisano’s support “helps level the playing field.”

“The discourse has been heavily stacked in favor of the haves - the billionaires and the magnates,” Liu said.

Bloomberg declared earlier this month that he wanted another four years in office and would seek to change the term-limits law so that he could run again.

Golisano praised Bloomberg’s reign but said voters must have the chance to consider any change to term-limits law. The public twice approved term-limits in the 1990s.

The City Council has fast-tracked the mayor’s bill and could vote as early as Thursday, although that was looking unlikely yesterday. Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who backs the

Bloomberg plan, told some council members that the vote was not on the agenda yet for Thursday, a possible indication that there was not enough support currently for the bill’s passage.

Douglas Muzzio, a political science professor at the Baruch School of Public Affairs, said as long as the law remains in the hands of the council he doubts Golisano’s efforts will matter.

“He would have to directly be able to influence the council members,” said Muzzio. “He doesn’t have enough reach or enough time or enough money compared to Michael Bloomberg to make a difference.”

If the council were to pass the bill, Golisano said it was possible he would help finance legal challenges.

The AP contributed to this report.

Quinn backs Bloomberg's term-limit overhaul; "billionaires" rejoice

Sunday October 12, 2008 2:46 PM By Rolando Pujol

Noah Countability, Phil T. Rich, Isla Lordit Overya, Anita Yacht and Thurston Howell 4th are members of Billionaires for Term Limits Except for Billionaires. “As billionaires we are just not used to limitations,” Yacht said. (Photo: Jefferson Siegel)

By Marlene Naanes

mnaanes@am-ny.com

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn yesterday threw her support behind the mayor’s push to extend term limits permanently.

Reiterating some of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s arguments for a third term, Quinn said at a City Hall news conference that the city is facing a global financial crisis and “continuity of leadership” will help pull the city through.

“In these difficult times, I believe voters should have the choice to keep the current leadership of our city,” said Quinn, who was seen as a potential mayoral candidate before Bloomberg announced his view on term limits, which he once supported . “If voters are not happy with any of us, they have the right to vote us out of office next fall.”

Quinn said she talked with city leaders in the public and private sector, including labor officials and good government advocates, before coming to a decision to permanently extend term limits from two to three four-year stints. She noted yesterday that New Yorkers also will be able to voice their opinion at two City Hall hearings this Thursday and Friday.In public, Quinn had been on the fence about the term-limits change. Quinn’s support could be central in convincing resistant council members. She promised yesterday that she made no deal with Bloomberg, and that council members who vote against the measure would not face punitive action.

The issue could come up for a vote as early as Oct. 23.

As quickly as Quinn’s news conference ended, elected officials and a satire group, Billionaires for Term Limits Except for Billionaires, spoke out.

“As billionaires we are just not used to limitations,” said a woman who went by the moniker Anita Yacht. Another billionaire added, “we paid for three terms and we’re going to get them.”

Other roadblocks to the mayor’s plan have been lifted in recent days. They include billionaire Ronald Lauder, who funded a campaign to create term limits in 1993, recently threw his support into the plan after opposing it.

Remaining hurdles include a conflict-of-interest complaint filed by two advocacy groups, saying that Bloomberg improperly used his position for his own benefit in making a deal with Lauder.

Mayoral candidate U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn-Queens) and Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Brooklyn) also continue to stand in the mayor’s way. James, who also complained to the Conflicts of Interest Board, countered Quinn’s statements about voters still having a choice in the 2009 election next year.

Council opponents are seeking to enact a voter referendum on term limits, which were approved by voters in 1993 and reaffirmed in 1996.

“You can still have a choice if you do things the right way,” she said. “Let the voters decide. That’s really the issue.”

City Hall Dispatch: Words are slippery things

Thursday May 15, 2008 7:05 PM By David Freedlander

Three days after the mayor's umbrage on our colleague Michael Frazier's use of the word maintain

and two days after the mayor's umbrage denial and one day after Bloomberg press spokesman Stu Loeser put forth the following account:

like most New Yorkers, and most people, the mayor doesn't like being called a liar. If we need to go over the meaning of the word maintain, I can. It's exclusively used to refer to an allegation that is either not backed up by facts or in contrast to facts, as in: The courts has ruled seven times that Mr. Jones is a pedophile, but he maintains they are all cases of mistaken identity."

The pictured sign made its way onto the walls of Room 9:

as well as:

And as our sister blog Spin Cycle put it:

What it does show is that Loeser lacks an understanding of both language and logic. In the sentence he has constructed, Loeser could use "says," or "contends," or "insists," or "argues." Because he has set up a scenario in which the pedophile is obviously lying, any word he inserts will be infected by the implication.

The word "maintain" is neutral, not accusatory -- it neither disputes nor endorses the pedophile/Bloomberg position. It expresses no opinion. Which is precisely what professional reporters are supposed to do.

---David Freedlander

City Hall Dispatch: Bloomie sez Obama's right

Thursday May 1, 2008 8:55 AM By David Freedlander

On the suspension of the gas tax at least.

Said Hizzoner of his one-time breakfast buddy:

"I thought Obama was right and McCain and Clinton were wrong. The last thing we need to do is encourage people to drive more and take away monies we need for infrastructure."

Asked to elaborate by Urbanite fave The Politicker the Mayor called the gas tax suspension, "About the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time."

Of course, later, on a question about the budget he did say, "My job is not to hope.My job is to be realistic and plan" which sounds like Hillary-speak to us.

--David Freedlander

America's next tree

Wednesday April 9, 2008 4:31 PM By Rolando Pujol

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Tyra Banks plant a tree along the bike lane on Ninth Avenue and 18th Street Wednesday afternoon. The event called attention to Bloomberg's PlaNYC Million Trees NYC Initiative, which is aiming to plant a million trees throughout the city by 2017.

Text and photo: Jefferson Siegel

From City Hall: Mike needs a new mic

Thursday March 6, 2008 6:02 PM By Rolando Pujol

For once, the mayor has nothing to say.

Fans of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s weekly call-in show may be surprised when Hizzoner is nowhere on the radio dial.

The mayor had appeared nearly every week of his two terms on WABC-AM's John R. Gambling’s Friday call-in show.

Gambling, though, was abruptly dismissed after last week’s show, leaving the mayor with a radio silence, at least temporarily.

“The mayor likes the opportunity to talk to New Yorkers, to talk about what he’s done that week,” said Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser. “He can move beyond the sound bites and short quotes that TV news and radio news and print news leave him with.”

The mayor has no immediate plans or timetable as to when he’ll go back on the air with another host.

WABC replaced Gambling with longtime radio personality Curtis Sliwa, who is expected to syndicate the show nationally.

Loeser did say that the administration has received a couple of offers and are weighing their options. His advice to fans of the show:

“Stay tuned.”

-- David Freedlander