Why Term Limits are a good idea, and why Nine Terms as Mayor is Too Many.
MORGAN ON TERM LIMITS
(or, what were YOU doing in 1979?)
I support term limits. If elected, I will introduce term limits legislation at my first meeting.
I proposed a term limits amendment this year. The current City administration did nothing with it. They wouldn't even put it on the ballot. So what's the problem? Hundreds of jurisdictions throughout the United States, including the California Assembly, the California Senate, the City of Pacific Grove, and many other cities have term limits. The usual practice is to make sure that the incumbents move on every six or eight years (like the President does, under Constitutional term limits).
Monterey has no term limits.
Incumbents -- fueled by the power and name recognition of incumbency -- run time and time again. The incumbents begin to think THEY are the City, and it all becomes a club. (Do you think that the City's disastrous experience with lawsuits and the waste of our tax dollars might be linked in some way to this? But let's move on.)
WHY DOES THE REST OF THE COUNTRY USE TERM LIMITS?
Here are the reasons most frequently given by experts who study these issues across the
country--remember, these are nonpartisan, objective experts:
1. Term limits open up the political process. The power of the incumbency rewards career politicians and discourages grass roots campaigns.
2. Term limits promote new voices and new constituencies. They give opportunities to the young and to renters, workers, students, and others who might not be able to join the "club" of city government
3. Term limits level the playing field. They give more choices to voters.
4. Term limits bring fresh, questioning approaches to power. When there is turn-over in office, the new officials are open to changing the way things "are always done" and are open to new technologies and ideas.
HOW LONG HAVE THE MONTEREY FOLKS BEEN IN OFFICE?
The current City elected officials have been there a total of 83 years. That's an average of 17 years. Per person.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE MAYOR?
In 1979, Jimmy Carter was president. Ronald Reagan was gearing up to run for president.
Gerald Ford was considering a comeback. There were no cellular phones. No fax machines. No
ATMs, no personal computers and no Internet. Sony was making news with a "portable stereo" called
a "walkman." Postage stamps cost 13 cents. And Dan Albert was elected to the City Council.
Now, 23 years later, Dan Albert is running for his ninth term as mayor.
Times have changed. Let's open up the process.
Vote November 5, 2002
MORGAN FOR MAYOR
498 Washington St., Monterey CA 93940
MorganForMayor.org
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