ALBANY, N.Y., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- New York's top Democrat said the state assembly won't allow New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to remain in office in an extend 90-day transition period after Jan 1.
"It's finished," said New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat from Manhattan whose home district includes the World Trade Center. "I've heard from enough of my (conference) members and about 85 percent of my members are against it."
The Democratic conference controls two-thirds of the 150-member state assembly.
Giuliani is barred from a third term because of voter-imposed term limits but after the primary on Sept. 25, he offered a "unity plan" to the candidates to extend the transition period that ends on Jan. 1 to April 1, 2002. He also said that if his offer of a longer transition time was refused he would consider running himself for a third term.
In the wake of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Giuliani's approval ratings hit unprecedented heights of more than 90 percent. However, Silver delayed any discussion of the transition extension or rescinding New York City term limits in the mayoral race until Oct. 15.
Last week, Giuliani said he would not pursue a third term because it would lead to "litigation and division" but he did advise the city mayoral candidates to take him up on his offer to lengthen the transition time by three months.
"My advise to the candidates is that they should have a longer transition period," the mayor has said. "I think anybody who thinks they're ready for this job on Jan. 1, given the monumental tasks that are ahead, doesn't understand this job very well, for my own transition it took me until May to get my commissioners in place."
New York City Public Advocate Mark Green, one of the Democrats in the run-off scheduled for Oct. 11, is in favor of the transition extension but his Democratic opponent, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, is against it because he "doesn't want to be an apprentice mayor."
Green and Ferrer must meet in a Democratic run-off because neither achieved 40 percent of the vote in the primary.
Republican candidate Michael Bloomberg was in favor of keeping Giuliani as mayor for three more months and extending the transition period.
A recent Marist College poll found Ferrer and Green in a deadheat with each having 45 percent of the vote of likely registered Democratic voters.
However, if Green -- who is in favor of an extended transition -- wins, Silver said it wouldn't make any difference, "Giuliani is out on Dec. 31." He recommended that the mayor brief all the mayoral candidates on a regular basis as a way of ensuring a smooth transition.
Republican Gov. George Pataki and Sen. Joseph Bruno, the majority leader of the Republican-controlled New York State Senate, both have said they would favor an extended transition for the next mayor of New York City.
