http://www.boston.com/dailynews/277/nation/Giuliani_won_t_seek_third_term:.shtml

Giuliani won't seek third term but wants three-month extension; Bush visits NYC

By Chaka Ferguson, Associated Press, 10/4/2001 02:33

NEW YORK (AP) Rudolph Giuliani cleared up widespread speculation about his future as mayor in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack, saying he will not press for a third term but repeating an offer to stay on for an extra three months.

''People begged me to stay, begged me to stay. And I know what that's about. They're afraid,'' Giuliani said Wednesday night on CNN's ''Larry King Live.''

The mayor said the best move would be an extended transition keeping him in office through April 1 to ease in his replacement. Two of the three candidates running for mayor support the idea, but even a short extension likely would require the approval of the state Legislature.

Giuliani joined President Bush on Wednesday as he visited with firefighters and school children near the city's financial district. A few blocks away, rescue teams continued removing debris and searching for victims in the collapsed remains of the World Trade Center.

The last search-and-rescue team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency planned to pack up by the end of the week, leaving teams of firefighters and volunteers from across the country still working in the wreckage.

''It's overwhelming that we lost so many of our brothers,'' said Forrest Rowell, a Sacramento, Calif., firefighter and FEMA squad leader. ''I just wish we could do more.''

The official count of the missing dropped to 4,986 after authorities found names duplicated on lists compiled by police and the city family center. So far, 369 people have been confirmed dead.

Bush, in his second visit to New York since the Sept. 11 attacks, went from Wall Street to Chinatown and Little Italy, telling New Yorkers the rest of America is ready to help them.

''I am saddened by the sight of the World Trade Center, once again,'' Bush told business executives during a meeting at Federal Hall, near the New York Stock Exchange. ''But through my tears, I do see a much better future for the country.''

The president, joined by Giuliani and Gov. George Pataki, visited firefighters at Engine Co. 55, a company missing five men in the World Trade Center. He also stopped at Hernando DeSoto Elementary to talk with first graders, many of whom witnessed the aftermath of the attacks.

In a school hallway, Bush scanned bright drawings under the words, ''The day we were very sad.'' The images included a flaming World Trade Center and a firefighter floating toward heaven with wings and a halo.

With Pataki and Giuliani, the president led Debra Nelson's first-graders in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Bush also added his own sentiments to a poster where the children had written their feelings about America.

''I love America because I love freedom,'' the president wrote.

On Thursday, Bush was scheduled to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox, who also planned to visit New York and meet with Giuliani.

In discussing his own political future, Giuliani said Wednesday that he would not try to change the city's term limits to remain in office. Giuliani, who is barred from serving more than two terms, said he believed the best response would be a transition period.

''Anybody that thinks they're ready for this job on Jan. 1, given the monumental tasks that lie ahead, doesn't understand this job very well,'' Giuliani said.

Republican candidate Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire media executive, and Democrat Mark Green, the city's elected public advocate, have both agreed to the plan. Only Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, who faces Green in a Democratic runoff Oct. 11, has refused.

During a debate Wednesday night, Ferrer said Giuliani had performed magnificently in responding to the attacks, but he said he couldn't support keeping Giuliani in office after Dec. 31.

''I believe that if the mayor is truly committed to a smooth and seamless transition, as he has said before, then he ought to begin that transition process now,'' Ferrer said. ''He ought to invite all of the candidates who are running for mayor into his office, into cabinet meetings and briefing sessions.''

-- Anonymous, October 04, 2001