VOA标准英语10月-NYC Mayor Bloomberg Wins Right to Run for Third T

New York's City Council has voted in favor of extending term limits for elected officials, paving the way for the city's billionaire mayor to run for another term. Victoria Cavaliere reports from VOA's New York Bureau that the move on Thursday had many vocal¹ opponents who said any change to the existing term limits law should only come through a public referendum.
　

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (file photo)

The measure to extend term limits law narrowly passed by a vote of 29 to 22, following two hours of lively, and at time contentious², debate in the City Council.

The legislation will allow elected officials to stay in office for three consecutive³ four-year terms. Lawmakers are currently limited to two four-year terms.

The move came at the request of New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg,who just three weeks ago announced that he wanted to be able to run for a third term in office. Mr. Bloomberg's second term expires at the end of 2009.

Bloomberg, a former Wall Street tycoon⁴ and self-made billionaire, said he wants to remain the city's mayor because he believes his business savvy⁵ will help steer⁶ the city through tough financial times brought about by the crisis on Wall Street.

"As our economic situation has become increasingly unstable⁷, the question to me has become far less about the theoretical and much more about the practical. So, to put it in very practical terms, handling this financial crisis while strengthening essential services such as education and publics safety is a challenge I want to take on for the people of New York," he said.

Bloomberg, a powerful and popular mayor, had many vocal opponents as he pushed to extend term-limits.

Referendums in the 1990s had twice confirmed the two-term limit and many New Yorkers said that only voters should be able to change the rule - not the City Council.

Council members held a heated debate before casting their vote.

Representative Charles Barron said only voters should be able to extend the term limits law. "If you do this, you are undermining the very people who vote you in to represent them, because their voices were already heard. Let the people decide.

About two-thirds of the council would have been forced out of office under the two-term limit, but they can now stand for a third term at the November 2009 election.

1 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

2 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

3 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

4 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

5 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

6 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

7 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。