He's been a benefactor to the causes of the Conservative and Republican parties for years, so it's ironic how term limits reform in the five boroughs may have now been slayed by its creator Ronald Lauder.
That's David Rockefeller between Lauder and Michael Bloomberg, joined by a former governor of New York who incidently became a walking argument for term limits during too long a tenure in Albany.
The New York Times reported on Lauder's change of heart but this wasn't an overnight switch.
The debate against term limits in deference to experienced lawmakers goes back to Congressman Henry Hyde's stirring speech on the floor of Congress in opposition to this one aspect of the Contract With America reforms that had been shepherded in by then House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
I will be curious how the New York State Conservative Party will respond, since term limits has been one of its steadfast principles for over two decades now (with Lauder's help).
The New York Post has weighed in on this one, "Run, Mike, Run" -- since the financial sky is falling and Mayor Mike is New York City's municipal "master of the universe" when it comes to fiscal limits.
In its front-page article on Tuesday, The Post reported that Mr. Lauder described the extraordinary need for Mr. Bloomberg to stay on as “a one-time event.” He told The Post he had come to his decision after much difficulty because of “my love of the city and my belief in the people running it.”
But Lauder, who spent over $4 million dollars for referendums in 1993 and 1996, added that if an extra term was extended for the Mayor, it should be extended for everyone.
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