Candidates: Term Limits Should Stand

Despite public sentiment, Badillo is only candidate to back Giuliani re-election

By Jessica Kowal and Curtis L. Taylor | STAFF WRITERS

September 21, 2001

As a new poll showed that voters are unsure about whom to elect mayor, the four Democratic candidates and Republican Michael Bloomberg agreed yesterday that Mayor Rudolph Giuliani should not have another term in office.

Since the World Trade Center attacks, some citizens have suggested that Giuliani should stay at City Hall despite a law limiting city officials to two terms. Giuliani most recently said he hasn't decided if he would like to remain mayor; before the attacks, he often said he supports the term-limits law for government's chief executives.

Even as this was debated, elected officials said it was highly unlikely that city law could be changed in time for Giuliani to run for re-election.

Democrats Mark Green, Peter Vallone, Fernando Ferrer and Alan Hevesi said that under the city's term-limits law, democracy demands that voters choose a new leader despite last week's World Trade Center attacks.

"A democracy marches on," said Green, the city public advocate.

"The best answer to the terrorists is to have this election," added Hevesi, the city comptroller.

Bloomberg does not embrace the idea of the mayor's continuing in office, a campaign aide said.

Republican Herman Badillo disagreed, saying he "wouldn't mind at all" if Giuliani stayed in office.

A Marist poll released yesterday showed that a majority (57 percent) of New Yorkers surveyed want to keep the city's term-limits law, versus 33 percent of the respondents who would like to repeal it. This was despite a 91 percent approval rating for Giuliani's handling of the recent crisis.

The poll also showed, however, that New Yorkers were evenly split on the issue of whether to postpone the mayoral election for one year. Gov. George Pataki has, at times, vaguely hinted that the election might be postponed, but he did not take any action yesterday.

The poll of 525 city residents, of whom 374 were registered voters, showed that the greatest percentage of those surveyed, 28 percent, are not sure which candidate will be best able to lead the city after the World Trade Center attacks.

The poll showed that 21 percent favored Green, 16 percent chose Ferrer, 15 percent wanted Vallone, and 7 percent favored Hevesi. Bloomberg received 11 percent, and 2 percent selected Badillo. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.

Green yesterday became the first candidate to hold a campaign event since the Sept. 11 disaster. At a news conference in a midtown law firm, Green announced a plan for a joint city/state Emergency Reconstruction Authority to rebuild the World Trade Center area.

An alternative plan, favored by Vallone and Giuliani, will be introduced in the City Council today to allow the mayor to appoint seven people to a commission focused on rebuilding the downtown area.

The other five candidates have held no public campaign-related events, although Vallone has appeared often at mayoral briefings.

Admitting that holding a political event might appear insensitive to New York City's ongoing grief, Green said he sought to walk "a tightrope" in presenting a proposal he believes is essential.

Green and Hevesi, who have battled the mayor over the years, stood alongside Giuliani during the mayor's afternoon news briefing on World Trade Center rescue and recovery operations. Both also vocally praised the mayor's leadership in the past 10 days.

Voters will be able to hear from the candidates this weekend. Ferrer, Green and Hevesi have agreed to appear tomorrow on NY1 News. All six candidates are videotaping statements that will appear Sunday on WNBC-TV and also are sitting for interviews on WABC-TV.