Editing Michael Bloomberg (section)

==== 2009 election ====
{{Main|2009 New York City mayoral election}}
[[File:Mayor Michael Bloomberg (cropped).jpg|thumb|Bloomberg in 2007]]

On October 2, 2008, Bloomberg announced he would seek to extend the [[New York City mayoral elections#Terms and term limits (since 1834)|city's term limits law]] and run for a third mayoral term in 2009. Bloomberg said, "Handling this financial crisis while strengthening essential services&nbsp;... is a challenge I want to take on," Bloomberg said at a news conference. "So should the City Council vote to amend term limits, I plan to ask New Yorkers to look at my record of independent leadership and then decide if I have earned another term."<ref name=Honan_Reuters_20081002>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0228265920081002 |title=NYC's Bloomberg Says To Seek Third Term as Mayor |date=October 2, 2008 |author=Honan, Edith |work=Reuters}}</ref>

[[Ronald Lauder]], who campaigned for New York City's term limits in 1993 and spent over 4&nbsp;million dollars of his own money to limit the maximum years a mayor could serve to eight years,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/24/nyregion/ronald-lauder-leader-of-term-limit-band.html |title=Ronald Lauder, Leader Of Term-Limit Band |author=Steven Lee Myers |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 24, 1993 |url-access=limited}}</ref> sided with Bloomberg and agreed to stay out of future legality issues.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/lauder-favors-a-third-term-for-bloomberg/ |title=Lauder Favors a Third Term for Bloomberg |first=Jonathan P. |last=Hicks |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 30, 2008 |url-access=limited}}</ref> In exchange, he was promised a seat on an influential city board by Bloomberg.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/term-limit-deal-ronald-lauder-agrees-stay-legal-battle-return-city-board-seat-article-1.299400 |title=Term limit deal: Ronald Lauder agrees to stay out of legal battle in return for city board seat |first=Erin |last=Einhorn |newspaper=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York |date=October 6, 2008}}</ref>

Some people and organizations objected and [[NYPIRG]] filed a complaint with the City Conflict of Interest Board.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mas.org/citizens-unionnypirg-forum-on-term-limits-tonight |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106100625/http://mas.org/citizens-unionnypirg-forum-on-term-limits-tonight/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |title=Citizens Union/NYPIRG Forum on Term Limits Tonight |publisher=mas.org}}</ref> On October 23, 2008, the city council voted 29–22 in favor of extending the term limit to three consecutive four-year terms.<ref name="nyccouncil">{{cite news |url=http://wcbstv.com/breakingnewsalerts/bloomberg.third.term.2.847239.html |title={{-'}}Aye' And Mighty: Bloomberg's Wish Is Granted |website=[[WCBS-TV]] |date=October 23, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025085132/http://wcbstv.com/breakingnewsalerts/bloomberg.third.term.2.847239.html |first=Marcia |last=Kramer |archive-date=October 25, 2008}}</ref> After two days of public hearings, Bloomberg signed the bill into law on November 3.<ref name=Chan-Chen_NYT_20081103>{{cite news |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/03/bloomberg-hears-opponents-of-term-limits-bill |title=City Room: After an Earful, Mayor Signs Term Limits Bill |work=[[The New York Times]] |author-link=Sewell Chan |last1=Chan |first1=Sewell |last2=Chen |first2=David W. |date=November 3, 2008 |url-access=limited}}</ref>

Bloomberg's bid for a third term generated some controversy. Civil libertarians such as former [[New York Civil Liberties Union]] Director [[Norman Siegel]] and New York Civil Rights Coalition Executive Director Michael Meyers joined with local politicians to protest the process as undermining the democratic process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.sohojournal.com/?p=1374 |title=New Yorkers Protest Against Bloomberg Plan to Override Term Limits. |publisher=Archive.sohojournal.com |date=October 6, 2008 |access-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208140310/http://archive.sohojournal.com/?p=1374 |first=Jo |last=Panisch |archive-date=December 8, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bloomberg's opponent was [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Working Families Party]] nominee [[Bill Thompson (New York)|Bill Thompson]], who had been [[New York City Comptroller]] for the past eight years and before that, president of the [[New York City Board of Education]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov |title=Office of the New York City Comptroller |publisher=Comptroller.nyc.gov |date=April 14, 2014 |access-date=April 20, 2014}}</ref> Bloomberg defeated Thompson by a vote of 51 percent to 46 percent.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://elections.nytimes.com/2009/results/index.html |title=2009 Election Results |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 5, 2009 |access-date=May 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107034641/http://elections.nytimes.com/2009/results/index.html |archive-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref> Bloomberg spent $109.2&nbsp;million on his 2009 campaign, outspending Thompson by a margin of more than 11 to one.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.silive.com/news/2010/07/final_total_of_mayor_bloomberg.html|title=Final total of Mayor Bloomberg's 2009 campaign: $109M|agency=Associated Press|date=July 15, 2010|website=silive}}</ref>

After the release of Independence Party campaign filings in January 2010, it was reported that Bloomberg had made two $600,000 contributions from his personal account to the Independence Party on October 30 and November 2, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |author-link=Elizabeth Benjamin (journalist) |last=Benjamin |first=Elizabeth |title=Bloomberg's Independence (Pay)Day |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York |date=January 25, 2010 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/01/bloombergs-independence-payday.html |access-date=April 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130014725/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/01/bloombergs-independence-payday.html |archive-date=January 30, 2010}}</ref> The Independence Party then paid $750,000 of that money to Republican Party political operative John Haggerty Jr.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eligon |first=John |title=How G.O.P. Worker Got Bloomberg Money Is Investigated |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/nyregion/10independence.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 9, 2010 |access-date=April 17, 2010 |url-access=limited}}</ref>

This prompted an investigation beginning in February 2010 by the office of [[New York County District Attorney]] [[Cyrus Vance Jr.]] into possible improprieties.<ref>{{cite news |last=Benjamin |first=Elizabeth |title=Vance Investigating Indy/Bloomberg/Haggerty Connection |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York |date=February 9, 2010 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/02/vance-investigating-indybloomb.html |access-date=April 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215225017/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/02/vance-investigating-indybloomb.html |archive-date=February 15, 2010}}</ref> The Independence Party later questioned how Haggerty spent the money, which was to go to poll-watchers.<ref>{{cite news |author=Benjamin, Elizabeth |title=Independence Party to Haggerty: Where's Our Money? |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York |date=February 12, 2010 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/02/independence-party-to-haggerty.html |access-date=April 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217092127/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/02/independence-party-to-haggerty.html |archive-date=February 17, 2010}}</ref> Former New York State Senator [[Martin Connor]] contended that because the Bloomberg donations were made to an Independence Party housekeeping account rather than to an account meant for current campaigns, this was a violation of campaign finance laws.<ref>{{cite news |author=Barrett, Wayne |title=Mike Bloomberg's $1.2 Million Indy Party Donation Gets Murkier and Murkier |work=[[The Village Voice]] |date=March 2, 2010 |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/03/mike_bloomberg_3.php |access-date=April 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709162713/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/03/mike_bloomberg_3.php |archive-date=July 9, 2010}}</ref> Haggerty also spent money from a separate $200,000 donation from Bloomberg on office space.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Calder, Rich |author2=Seifman, David |title=Mike Poll Watcher Also Rented Office |work=[[New York Post]] |date=February 16, 2010 |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/mike_poll_watcher_also_rented_office_qVYB5U94wgeOcz0uJKNVrN |access-date=February 16, 2010}}</ref>