Jackson Heights Life

Who is your choice for Mayor of NYC in 2009?

Here's a Wikipedia entry that lists the currently-rumored field...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_mayoral_election,_2009

I personally believe that Astoria's Peter Vallone, Jr. will throw his hat in the ring to live his father's dream . . . sooner or later!

As of now running for Borough President are:

Helen Sears, Peter Vallone, Jr., Audrey Phiffer, Karen Koslowitz, & Leroy Comrie


As of now running for City Council - 21st District (Monserrate) are:

Francisco Moya


As of now running for City Council - 25th District (Sears) are:

Stuart Sears, Alfonso Quiroz, Daniel Dromm, Vasantrai Gandhi, Stanley Kalatara

There are probably a few more that I have not listed, everyone wants this seat

That is true, it has been confirmed that Marlene Tapper is indeed running once again for the 21st Councilmanic District.

It is also true that Rodolfo Flores is running for the 25th Councilmanic District, not to put forth an agenda but he is a bit of a nuisance to work with.

On the note of Bryan Pu-Folkes, he probably wishes he could run, but a huge debt from his prior campaign is holding him back.

Wow, this just got much more interesting:

Bloomberg Called Ready to Announce Third-Term Bid

After months of speculation about his political future, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg plans to announce on Thursday morning that he will seek a third term as mayor, according to three people who have been told of his plans.

The extraordinary move promises to upend New York City’s political world.

Right now, Mr. Bloomberg is barred by law from seeking re-election. But he will propose trying to revise the city’s 15-year-old term limits law, which would otherwise force him and dozens of other elected leaders out of office in 2009, the three people said.

In his announcement, Mr. Bloomberg, a former Wall Street trader and founder of a billion-dollar financial data firm, is expected to argue that the financial crisis unfolding in New York City demands his steady hand and proven business acumen.

(Follow link for complete article)

NY Times: Council Votes, 29 to 22, to Extend Term Limits
Newsday: Bloomberg's battle won, but war not over
NY1: Opponents Of Term Extensions Vow Repercussions Following Council Vote

Here's how our local legislators voted:
Sears - Yes
Monserrate - No

How does everybody think this will play out?

My predictions are:

1. Bloomberg will easily win re-election.  People may be angry at him now for ramming this through, but that anger will be difficult to sustain for a year, and so far there aren't any candidates with the stature to challenge him.

2. Sears may think she's going to run again, but will quickly be out-organized by candidates with real involvement in the community.  The only way she wins is if opposition is split among multiple strong candidates in a large field.

3. During or after Bloomberg's third term, the City Council will vote to return term limits to two terms.

What do you think?

My predictions are:

1. Bloomberg will easily win re-election.  People may be angry at him now for ramming this through, but that anger will be difficult to sustain for a year, and so far there aren't any candidates with the stature to challenge him.

Agreed, as much as I don't think he's the only or event he best person for the job, he can afford to cash in some of his high popularity rating and still sail to a pretty easy victory. 

2. Sears may think she's going to run again, but will quickly be out-organized by candidates with real involvement in the community.  The only way she wins is if opposition is split among multiple strong candidates in a large field.

Agreed again, however I don't think there are enough viably strong candidates, only one or two come to mind and of those two one has MUCH stronger ties to the community than Sears or the other "contender".  I do think there will be a trend of incumbents being unseated because of their vote. Not all the yes voters and flip floppers will be voted out but a few who are on thin ice as is Helen will be.

3. During or after Bloomberg's third term, the City Council will vote to return term limits to two terms.

And that would be unfortunate. Because I actually do agree that 12 years is a fair maximum for a local elected official. It's also an unfortunate underscoring of how divisive Bloomie has been with the term limit idea. Nothing is more apparent than the fact that he just wanted 4 more years for him self and didn't care about the other elected officials, those who were gearing up to run, or the people who live in this city. I think if they extend term limits this once, it should be permanent.

All bow to King Bloomberg!