Money, Power, Politics, by Joyce Purnick: on Government Reform

Donald Trump: Two-term limit on NYC mayor is a terrible idea

Mike Bloomberg: 2005: 8-year term limits; 2009: ran for 3rd term

Bloomberg actually owed his job to that law, which had forced an obviously reluctant Rudy Giuliani to depart from City Hall. Moreover, Bloomberg had consistently and vehemently supported the limits. "This is an outrage!" he exclaimed in 2005, when the city council toyed with a plan to extend the limit on everyone's service from 2 terms to 3. "There's no organization that I know," Bloomberg had said, "that would put somebody in charge for a long period of time. You always want turnover and change. 8 years is great. You learn for 4 years. You can do for 4 years."

On October 2, Bloomberg made it official, announcing his 3rd-term plan, citing a "crisis of confidence" in the economy,

Mike Bloomberg: Failed to lure Olympics to New York City

More than once, Bloomberg's ambitions outran his political skills and led to highly visible defeats. He failed to lure the Olympics to NY or build a grand stadium in a dilapidated stretch pf Manhattan. He lost a campaign to force private cars out of midtown, and while his overhaul of the city schools is in itself an achievement, whether it will produce a better-educated generation is a matter of protracted debate.