Editorial: Folly of term limits found in New York

Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2001 | 9:52 a.m.

On Tuesday the mayoral primary in New York City was missing the one candidate who undoubtedly would have won in a landslide: Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. The mayor has won universal acclaim for his handling of the crisis following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center. But term limits prohibit the two-term mayor from seeking re-election, a perfect illustration of why term limits should be abolished.

Term limits were all the rage during the 1990s, as voters passed initiatives to end the stranglehold that many incumbents had held on their offices. But maybe now the tide will shift, and voters possibly will awaken to the realization that term limits actually takes away their right to choose whom they want to represent them. New York City will move forward with or without Giuliani as mayor, but it's a shame that New Yorkers won't be able to make that decision themselves.

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