Geld licht democratie voetje?

[Cees Binkhorst]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Democratie voetje gelicht in New York?
Burgemeester Bloomberg heeft kans gezien de limiet van 2 termen geschrapt
te krijgen door de gemeenteraad.
Sommige leden van die raad hadden daar zelf belang bij omdat ze, door een
3e termijn, in aanmerking komen voor een pensioen van de stad NY.

Bloomberg (die nu Hugo genoemd kan worden?) heeft ook laten weten dat er
in zijn verkiezingsbegroting een bedrag van $20miljoen is opgenomen om
eventuele tegenkandidaten het leven zuur te maken.

Hij heeft het afhandelen van zijn herverkiezing in handen gegegeven van de
1e man van de ex-gouverneur Blagojevitch van Illinois (de man die Obama's
senaatszetel wilde verkopen), die er prat op gaat dat er geen enkele
beslissing is genomen in Illinois zonder zijn OK.

Viva la democracia / Cees


http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/03/17/2009-03-17_us_dept_of_justice_oks_change_in_electio.html

U.S. Dept. of Justice OK's change in election rules allowing Mayor
Bloomberg to run for third term

BY Erin Einhorn
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU

Tuesday, March 17th 2009, 3:19 PM

The U.S. Department of Justice has green-lighted Mayor Bloomberg's
stunning change to election rules, allowing him and other officials to run
for a third consecutive term.

The Justice Department must approve all changes to voting rules in cities
like New York that are covered by the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The act was designed to ensure that rules changes don't negatively impact
the participation of minorities in the election process.

"The Attorney General does not interpose any objection to the specified
changes," Christopher Coates, the Justice Department's voting rights chief
wrote in a two-paragraph letter Tuesday to Michael Cardozo, the city's top
lawyer.

Mayor Bloomberg said he's "pleased" by the ruling but said, while marching
in the St. Patrick's Day parade, that it wouldn't change much.

"I've got 290 days left to work as hard as I can, do the best job I can,
and to tell the public what I would do if they gave me another four
years," the mayor said.

Cardozo issued a statement praising the ruling saying it "ensures that the
city can move forward with timely implementation of the law in preparation
for the upcoming elections."

Opponents to the term limits change had argued to the Justice Department
that the change discourages minorities from running for office because of
the high costs and steep odds of challenging an incumbent.

In letters to the Justice Department, opponents cited several City Council
and other races where minorities dropped out following the narrow City
Council vote last fall that extended term limits.

"We are obviously disappointed," said Randy Mastro, an attorney who
represents opponents.

"The evidence was so compelling that it will adversely affect minorities'
opportunities to elect minority candidates in many specific races
throughout the City, including the Mayor's race."

But, Mastro said, "our fight continues."

Coates' letter to Cardozo Tuesday said that the Justice Department's
ruling does not prevent opponents from suing to prevent the term limits
change.

Opponents have also filed suit in Brooklyn federal court challenging
whether the mayor and council had the right to overrule the two citywide
voter referendums that created term limits in the first place.

In January, U.S. District Judge Judge Charles P. Sifton sided with the
city, ruling that the change was legal.

An appeals court is slated to hear the case later this month.

"We will never give in nor give up," said City Controller and mayoral
candidate William Thompson, one of the most vocal opponents of the change.

"The long struggle for voting rights has been full of setbacks like this
but time and again the principals of democracy have defeated the politcs
of the moment."

When U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner signaled last week that he may drop out of
the mayor's race, some speculated that he was waiting for the both DOJ and
federal courts decisions before making his final decision.

Tuesday, he issued a statement that did not address his status in the race.

"This ruling makes it less likely that New Yorkers will get to vote on
term limits," he said.

"Twice New Yorkers were able to vote and now an insider process may deny
them that right."

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