Politics

Giuliani Plays It Coy

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 24, 2001 / 7:40 AM EDT / CBS

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is barred by term limits from running for re-election this fall, is trying to extend his term. But in a Monday news conference, the mayor revealed little in the way of detail about his intentions.

It was not known if Giuliani would seek another full term, sources said Sunday night. Giuliani's Monday news conference did little to clarify his intentions, although by telling primary voters not to write in his name, he seemed intent on making his move during the Nov. 6 general election.

"It wouldn't make any sense for people to write my name in" on Sept. 25 was the most pointed comment he made.

In recent days, Giuliani has eluded questions about his desire to remain in office, saying he doesn't want to talk about politics while rescue crews are digging through the World Trade Center rubble.

But he has been reconsidering his earlier position that the mayoral election should proceed without him, the source said.

Giuliani's current term, his second consecutive, is scheduled to end Dec. 31 because of term-limit laws.

Tuesday's primary, which was postponed Sept. 11 when two hijacked commercial airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center, was rescheduled for Tuesday.

For Giuliani to be eligible to continue serving beyond a second term, the Legislature and Republican Gov. George Pataki would have to enact emergency legislation to extend his term, or the City Council and city voters would have to amend the City Charter.

Neither scenario is likely because City Council Speaker and mayoral candidate Peter Vallone and top legislative leaders have said they do not want to override city voters, who enacted the term limits law in 1993 and again in 1996.

A bid to repeal term limits failed in the City Council at committee level in March.

Giuliani was a strong supporter of term limits when they were first considered in the early 1990s.

On Friday, Pataki said the primary would go on as scheduled. But he said of Giuliani, "If I were a resident of New York City, I'd write him in."

Giuliani's office said Sunday the official number of those missing after the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers had risen to 6,453, up 120 from the prior toll amid continued checks of lists of those unaccounted for. The dead and missing from all four coordinated attacks was about 7,000.

In recent days Giuliani has said the chances of finding anyone else alive in the rubble were "very, very small." Only 252 people have been confirmed dead and teams of workers are digging through the ruins of the complex for bodies, body parts and evidence, hoping for a miracle.

Giuliani vowed at Yankee Stadium that the city would rebound from the attacks.

"The proud twin towers that once crowned our famous skyline no longer stand, but our skyline will rise again," he said.