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Boro council reps support change in term limits law

By Adam Kramer

All but one of the 14 Queens city council members have signed on in support of redefining the term limits law in a move that would allow all members of the Council to serve two consecutive four-year terms and not push several out after only six years.

The term limits law, approved in two voter referendums, limits city council members to two terms. The alteration to the law stipulates that another two-year term should be given to council members who are limited to six years in office. It was sponsored by 46 out of 51 city council members. City Councilman Dennis Gallagher (R-Middle Village) is the borough’s only councilman not to sponsor the bill.

“The only thing that makes the bill controversial is that it affects the speaker,” said City Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis). “Clearly when term limits was put in, the intention was eight years. The slogan was ‘Eight is Enough.’ ”

He said the quirk only happens every 18 years when an election year occurs right after a census year. The next time a similar situation will happen will be in 2021, he said.

Making a change is necessary to fix the glitch, Weprin said. If the Council and the city’s population were overwhelmingly dissatisfied with Speaker Gifford Miller’s (D-Manhattan) leadership, there would be more of an uproar.

The change in the term limit law would affect eight of the 51 council members, who because of the two-year census term, are limited to six years instead of eight years in office.

The two-year term for city council members was implemented to account for redistricting, which is based on the 2000 census numbers.

“This is a decision I am struggling with,” Gallagher said. “I want to listen to the public debate carefully and closely. I want to make sure that we are not overturning the will of the people.”

He said he has a hard time voting in favor of a bill that goes against a public referendum. But he said he wants to make sure voting to redefine the term limits law does not tinker and weaken the existing law.

The bill was scheduled to go before the Committee on Governmental Operations July 23.

The 1993 term limits law passed by city voters allows council members to serve only two consecutive terms. Term limits can be repealed if 26 council members vote in favor of the move. The measure would then be sent to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who can sign or veto the bill.

The quest to implement term limits for members of the City Council, mayor, comptroller and public advocate was spearheaded by Ron Lauder, president of the Estee Lauder Cosmetics empire and an erstwhile candidate for mayor. He spent more than $5 million in the 1990s to push for term limits.

In an op-ed piece this week in the Daily News written by Miller and Lauder, Lauder came out in support of the City Council’s legislation to fix the glitch that limits some council members to six instead of eight years.

City Councilman Allan Jennings (D-St. Albans), who originally was an opponent of the bill because it changed a law that was passed by the city’s residents, joined the group sponsoring the bill.

“I didn’t read the bill the first time,” he said. “It didn’t sound right that the Council change a bill passed by a referendum.”

Jennings originally wanted any change to the term limits law to be determined by a citywide vote. But he said after learning it was against the law for the Council to put the change up for a voter’s referendum, he decided to support the bill.

“I was in favor of giving people two extra years,” Jennings said, “not the procedure.”

Reach reporter Adam Kramer by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 157.