New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a television interview yesterday that he's seeking a third term because tough times require an independent mayor.

Bloomberg told CNN that he's running because he has started many projects and he wants to see them through.

It's easy to cancel projects in tough economic times, he said.

Bloomberg announced last week that he would ask the City Council to change New York's term-limits law so he can run for another term.

A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, shows that a majority of city residents now favor a proposal to extend term limits from two to three terms.

Bloomberg said this week he would seek to change the law and run for re-election next year.