New York, NY – Even if voters opt to return to a two-term limit in the planned November referendum, most of the current 51 City Council members will be “grandfathered in” until they’ve had a shot at running for a third term.
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So, in effect, voting for two will still get you three — like it or not.
The debate over the grandfathering issue continues within the 15-member Charter Revision Commission, which meets this coming Monday night to authorize its final report and effectively go out of business after more than five months of work. Several members say they intend to reopen the discussion Monday on whether to limit some of the current incumbents to being able to run for two terms.
As it stands, the mayoral-appointed panel has tentatively recommended applying the two-term limit only on municipal officials who are elect to their own first term in 2013. Anyone elected that year would be eligible to run again in 2017, and finally get term-limited out in 2021.
“That’s so far in the future it would be meaningless,” grumbled Charter Commission member Anthony Cassino of the Bronx, a lawyer who lost a bid to depose Riverdale Councilman G. Oliver Koppell last year. “To give everyone a third term is crazy. If you make it (the two-term limit) effective so far in the future, you’ve made it a kind of a farce.”
Unless Cassino and others manage to revise the term-limits referendum Monday, 50 of the 51 current Council incumbents would fall into three general categories.
But one incumbent, David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) would be in his very own category.
He entered the Council in February by winning a special election for the unexpired term of Simcha Felder, who resigned several weeks after beginning his third four-year term to become a deputy city comptroller.
That means that Greenfield wouldn’t be running for his own first term until 2013.
Assuming he keeps getting re-elected, he wouldn’t be term-limited out until 2021.
CATEGORY ONE-BARRED FROM RUNNING IN 2013:
(The current three-term limit would still apply for the 2013 elections, and these incumbents will have served three four-year terms by the end of 2013 and would not get to run again. Two of them -Speaker Christine Quinn and Republican Minority leader James Oddo of Staten Island–will each have served nearly 14 years because they first took office through special elections to finish out the unexpired terms of predecessors, which doesn’t count for term limits purpose. )
1. Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) .
2. Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan)
3. Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan).
4. G. Oliver Koppell (D-Bronx) .
5. Larry Seabrook (D-Bronx).
6. Joel Rivera (D-Bronx).
7. Helen Diane Foster (D-Bronx).
8. Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens).
9. James Gennaro (D-Queens).
10. Leroy Comrie (D-Queens).
11. James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens) .
12. Diana Reyna (D-Brooklyn).
13. Albert Vann (D-Brooklyn).
14. Erik Martin Dilan (D-Brooklyn).
15. Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn).
16. Lewis Fidler (DBergen Beach) elected 2001 03, 2005, 2009
17. Domenic Recchia (D-Brooklyn).
18. Michael Nelson (D-Brooklyn).
19. James Oddo (R-Staten Island).
CATEGORY TWO-13 ALLOWED TO RUN AGAIN IN 2013:
(Most were first elected in 2005 and will have served two terms by the end of 2013. Some will have served more than eight years by then because of having won special elections to fill out unexpired terms of predecessors. They would be barred from running again in 2017.)
1. Rosie Mendez (D-Manhattan).
2. Jessica Lappin (D-Manhattan).
3. Daniel Garodnick (D-Manhattan).
4. Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan).
5. Inez Dickens (D-Manhattan).
6. James Vacca (D-Bronx).
7. Maria del Carmen Arroyo (D-Bronx).
8. Annabel Palma (D-Bronx).
9. Thomas White Jr. (D-Queens), who also served in the Council 1992-2001.
10. Letitia James (D-Brooklyn).
11. Sara Gonzalez (D-Brooklyn).
12. Darlene Mealy (D-Brooklyn).
13. Vincent Gentile (D-Brooklyn).
CATEGORY THREE- 19 ALLOWED TO RUN AGAIN IN 2017:
(Most were first elected last year, but several were first elected in special elections to fill out unexpired terms of predecessors, which don’t count against term limits. )
i1. Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan).
2. Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan).
3. Fernando Cabrera (D-Bronx).
4. Daniel Halloran (R-Queens).
5. Peter Koo (R-Queens).
6. Julissa Ferreras (D-Queens).
7. Mark Weprin (D-Queens).
8. Daniel Dromm (D-Queens).
9. James Van Bramer (D-Queens).
10. Karen Koslowitz (D-Queens), also served in Council 1991-2001.
11. Elizabeth Crowley (D-Queens).
12. Eric Ulrich (R-Queens).
13. Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn).
14. Bradford Lander (D-Brooklyn).
15. Mathieu Eugene (D-Brooklyn).
16. Jumaane Williams ( D-Brooklyn).
17. Deborah Rose (D-Staten Island).
18. Vincent Ignizio (R-Staten Island).
THE GREENFIELD CATEGORY-SAFE UNTIL 2021:
1. David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) entered the Council in February by winning a special election for the unexpired term of his predecessor, Simcha Felder, which ends Dec. 31, 2013. That means Greenfield wouldn’t be running for his own first term until 2013, and if he keeps getting reelected he wouldn’t be term limited out until 2021.
I for one have had enough of ALL of them!
I don’t think Greenfield will last that long. Boro Park became smarter and they started voting. David will have to prove himself big time to last so long. He keeps on dissing some groups in his district and people hate elected officials that hold grudges against his opponents.
Public office shouldn’t be a profession it should be an askin from the community that stands up for the rights and values of our community. I for one have had it with professional politicians that are more interested in advancing their careers than looking out for the best interest of boro park. If greenfield lasts till 2021 boro parkers it will only be because the average Joe schmo can’t handle the sheker in politics
Term limits what for ? If the guy isn’t good vote him out if he is good keep him for many terms , it’s that easy.
Mayor appointed commission. That’s where the farce begins. He always did and always will make a fool out of us the voters
like the saying goes, smart honest working people never get elected. it’s only the arrogant, overly self esteemed people that push their way into office, (most times, in a very disgusting aggressive manner). I mean you greenfeld. You still have to prove yourself much more than telling us you won 50K for our community, or that you will keep 13 ave ticket free or rather a parking lot.