Friday, October 24, 2008
Pluto/Mike's Roll Call Cronies
4 comments
Plutocrat Mike Bloomberg just bought you; the City Council just sold you to him. You belong to him, now.
If the original price for Manhattan island was $24, whatever could our favorite plutocrat have paid for the entire city?
Roll call breakdown: How the City Council voted on extending term limits
Here are the Dirty 29. These 29 people are to be shunned and opposed at every turn at every step for the rest of their careers for selling you to Mike Bloomberg. In fact, this vote today should effectively END their careers.
How the City Council voted on extending term limits:
YES VOTE
(*= cowards whose term-limited seat is set to expire in 2009 and voted to kill term limits today. Yes, what a shock, I know. Others' terms would continue on, past 2009.)Maria del Carmen Arroyo (D-Bronx)
*Maria Baez (D-Bronx)
*Leroy G. Comrie, Jr. (D-Queens)
Inez E. Dickens (D-Manhattan) [Gotham's own!]
*Erik Martin Dilan (D-Brooklyn)
*Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn)
*Lewis A. Fidler (D-Brooklyn)
*Helen D. Foster (D-Bronx)
*Alan J. Gerson (D-Manhattan)
Sara M. Gonzalez (D-Brooklyn)
*Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan)
*Melinda R. Katz (D-Queens)
*G. Oliver Koppell (D-Bronx)
**Miguel Martinez (D-Manhattan)
Darlene Mealy (D-Brooklyn)
*Michael C. Nelson (D-Brooklyn)
*Christine C. Quinn (D-Manhattan)
*Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. (D-Brooklyn)
*Diana Reyna (D-Brooklyn)
*Joel Rivera (D-Bronx)
*James Sanders, Jr. (D-Queens)
*Larry B. Seabrook (D-Bronx)
*Helen Sears (D-Queens)
*Kendall Stewart (D-Brooklyn)
James Vacca (D-Bronx)
*Peter F. Vallone, Jr. (D-Queens)
*Albert Vann (D-Brooklyn)
Thomas White, Jr. (D-Queens)
*David Yassky (D-Brooklyn)
Question:
Just what did Pluto give to these people (other than crass self-interest) to get them to vote for this insane measure to overturn the will of the New York voter? Or does Bloomberg have something serious on these people? NYers voted TWICE for term limits, and also turned down Runnin' Rudy when he wanted to stay on after the WTC attacks.
NYers are very happy with term limits. They're not very happy with their Mayor or City Council right now.
NO VOTE
Here are NY's Most Courageous:
(those whose term-limited jobs are up in 2009, but voted NO! to keep term limits anyway.)*James S. Oddo (R-S.I.)
*Michael E. McMahon (D-S.I.)
[OK; McMahon was gonna bail, anyway, since he's taking Vito Fossella's Staten Island seat in Congress. But it's still a gutsy vote.]
*Bill de Blasio (D-Brooklyn)
*Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn)
*Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens)
*Eric N. Gioia (D-Queens)
*Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens)
*James F. Gennaro (D-Queens)
*David I. Weprin (D-Queens)
*Tony Avella (D-Queens)
*Gale A. Brewer (D-Manhattan)
Others who opposed Bloomberg and voted NO on this, but held safe seats past 2009.Anthony Como (R-Queens)
Mathieu Eugene (D-Brooklyn)
Daniel R. Garodnick (D-Manhattan)
Vincent J. Gentile (D-Brooklyn)
Vincent Ignizio (R-S.I.)
Letitia James (D-Brooklyn)
Jessica S. Lappin (D-Manhattan)
John C. Liu (D-Queens)
Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan)
Rosie Mendez (D-Manhattan)
Annabel Palma (D-Bronx)
To you all on this NO list, we offer our thanks and immediately support your run for other office. YOU are a NYer.
We just noticed, as well, that no member of Pluto's Republican Party voted with him. They all opposed him on this (OK, there are only 3, but still...), even Mr. Oddo of Staten Island, who should, by rights, be out of a job in 2009.
NYers truly would have liked to have made this decision again on the ballot. If term limits lost, so be it: that'd be the will of the people. But, Pluto knew he'd lose, so in perfect Karl Rove/John McCain/George W. Bush/Dick Cheney-esque fashion, he decided to short-circuit the process by killing it. That's pure GOP. It's cheaper to buy a Council that's scared of unemployment than to spend heavily on a referendum measure in a special City Charter Revision election. Only to lose.
And every member of this City Council must know what national climate we live in, and how this vote would be construed by the people of New York.
Lemmings going over a cliff.
Money and cowardice both ran rampant in City Hall Thursday.
Hey! If ya got it, flaunt it.
posted by Gotham 2:41 AM
4 Comments:
I'm just a teensy bit less upset than you: my guy, Bill de Blasio (D-Brooklyn), voted "nay". (Then again, he did support Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project. So there you go: no honor among thieves.)
By 
Kiko Jones, at
October 24, 2008 4:02 AM
The stupidest thing that the Pluto forces may have done, is simply to call attention to themselves.
One of the beauties of term limits for the pol, is that you're in and out so fast, that no one really knows you and what you've done or not done. They only know what you describe to them in newsletters or campaign literature for re-election or higher office. So you mostly get to define yourself. Sweet.
Name recognition trumps competence in most cases.
Now, however, every NYer knows who these people are, and can track their every move, both in the Council and for other office.
Not a good thing, if you're them.
By Gotham, at
October 24, 2008 8:19 AM
Why are you calling Bloomberg "Pluto?" Pluto is the name of the ninth (some say tenth) planet that has been wrongfully demoted and therefore represents the underdog, the one who is eccentric and not quite accepted, yet has an enigmatic appeal and power that transcends all logic. I object to your use of this name for Michael Bloomberg.
Note: I oppose his attempt to subvert the will of the people and seek a third term and am appalled that the council would go along with this, even though I don't live in NYC.
By 
, at
October 27, 2008 6:28 PM
Good point, Anon.
Also, the name of arguably the best cartoon dog around.
Pluto here was short for Plutocrat.
By Gotham, at
October 28, 2008 12:47 AM
