Leon Freilich, Verse Responder, was inspired by this article in the New York Times. See poem below:

While the potential for a change in the city’s term limit laws has created a good deal of uncertainty and recalibration in the political landscape, there is one elected official who cannot seem to contain his excitement about the possibility of being able to run for re-election to his current office.

The Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz, said that that nothing would make him happier than the chance to run for another term and that he is thrilled by reports of the mayor’s plan.

“Having the chance to present myself to the people of Brooklyn and reapply for my lease for four more years would be perfect for me,” Mr. Markowitz said in an interview on Wednesday morning.

“I always said that this was my dream job,” Mr. Markowitz said. “And to be able to do it for four more years would thrill me, absolutely thrill me. And I just hope that the people of Brooklyn would be thrilled, too. Well, not everyone will be thrilled, but I hope most of the people will.”

For some time, Mr. Markowitz described himself as being in something of a quandary about what position he might seek should be unable to run for re-election. Under the current term limits laws, he would be barred from running in 2009. And he has considered running for mayor.

Mr. Markowitz, who was elected borough president in 2001, was previously a state senator representing Flatbush. For years before going to Borough Hall, he had made clear that he saw the borough presidency as the crowning achievement of his political career. He ran for borough president in 1985, but failed to unseat the incumbent, Howard Golden.

The current law restricts members of the City Council, the mayor, the public advocate, the comptroller and borough presidents to two consecutive four-year terms. On Thursday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is expected to propose that the current law be changed by a vote of the City Council. New York voters approved the two-term limit in a 1993 referendum, and reaffirmed it in 1996.

“Of course, I’ve been against term limits since they were first discussed,” Mr. Markowitz said. “I was against them both times when there was a vote about them. We already had term limits; they were called elections.”
He said he is fully supportive of the mayor’s plans and that he hopes the Council will support it. “I was giving some thought to running for mayor. But there’s no question that my preference has always been to serve the people of Brooklyn. This would be a great development.”

DEAR BROTHER RATNER

Can’t accept the job, Bruce,
Gotta understand the score;
Chance to make additional deals
Staying in Borough Hall four more.