Vacca Shift on Term Limits Even Though 'The Process Stinks'

When Republican City Councilman Jimmy Oddo saw his Democratic colleague Jimmy Vacca just now in the City Council chambers, he hugged him and said, "I love you."

It was bittersweet.

Oddo is opposing the extension to term limits. Vacca originally opposing it, one of aides to the Bronx freshman acknowledged that Vacca's position has shifted.

The aide said, basically, Vacca's position reflects the inconsistencies expressed by the public in opinion polls. Voters want to be able to vote for Michael Bloomberg again, but they don't like how the mayor is orchestrating the process.

"Which is worse?" the aide asked.

Vacca, in a brief interview just now, said he spoke directly with the mayor and is considering voting in favor of the term-limits extension. "The process stinks," he said, but voters "may not understand" that voting down the extension would deny Bloomberg a third term.

"In my district, many people want the opportunity to vote for him," Vacca said. "His approval rating in my district is at 70 percent."

City Councilman Leroy Comrie of Queens, who supports the extension, said, "It's already voted." The push to block the legislation right now, he said, "is all about spin."