StarQuest Stern Rocks Term Limits Symposium

City Hall is set to rock today when the City Council holds its first of two hearings on Bloomberg proposal to weaken term limits through the legislative overthrow of two voter referendums. Things were lively, though civil, at this morning’s term limits symposium at Baruch College.

Here is former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, a.k.a. StarQuest, challenging term limit hater G. Oliver Koppell, a leading advocate of the City Council change, asking Koppell just how he and his colleagues can justify shooting down the results of two legitimate elections to preserve their own jobs. Koppell, for his part, insists that the City Council and the mayor are well within their legal rights on the change.

StarQuest was on fire this morning. At one point his remark comparing the City Council to a rubber stamp was brought to the floor. Stern, himself a former councilman, corrected the record.

“Actually, I said the Council was less than a rubber stamp,” he said, “because a rubber stamp at least leaves an impression.”