Judge clears way for Bloomberg to run again in NY

By Edith Honan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York City Council had the legal right to extend term limits for itself and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday, clearing an obstacle for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to seek a third term.

The judge dismissed a civil rights lawsuit filed by elected officials who opposed the new law. However Bloomberg still faces a potential barrier from a state legislator who is seeking to pass a law that might stop the mayor from running again.

In November, Bloomberg signed a law increasing the term limit for elected officials to three 4-year terms from two, overturning two public referendums, held in 1993 and 1996, that imposed the two-term limit.

Bloomberg, a former Wall Street trader and self-made billionaire who was elected mayor in 2001 and in 2005, has argued that the extraordinary financial crisis requires a person of his experience, so he decided to help overturn the referendums and run again this year.

A group of elected officials and voters filed suit in Brooklyn federal court to stop Bloomberg, saying the new law denied voters "meaningful participation in the political process."

In a 64-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Charles Sifton found that city law does not limit the City Council's "ability to overturn or modify laws passed by referendum."

"As a result, each subsequent enactment takes priority over previous ones, regardless of the source," the ruling said.

Randy Mastro, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, said he would consult with his clients before deciding whether to appeal.

"We certainly believe there are grounds for an appeal," he said. "We believe strongly that what our elected officials did was illegal."

Michael Cardozo, the city's chief lawyer, said the ruling "upheld the City Council's extension of term limits and allowed the voters of this city the opportunity to elect officials of their choosing."

Meanwhile, New York State Assemblyman Hakim Jeffries has reintroduced a bill he offered in the last legislative session to require a voter referendum on the issue.

A spokeswoman for Jeffries said he was confident the bill would eventually be brought to a vote.