Term limits for Westminster

By Ha Minh Mach

Supporting an initiative imposing term limits on the Westminster Council

- Term limits open the door to new faces with fresh ideas and effective solutions the opportunity to contribute and to serve.

- Term limits prevent members of the council to build and solidify their power. Absolute power leads absolutely to corruption. Council members would decide on issues in such way to benefit their position on the council instead of the residents. They are more prone to corruption, negligence, and incompetence. Perfect examples are Shoreline Ambulance contract, Westminster City Council attempted to amend an ordinance granting them the power to appoint the chief of police to influence him politically. Westminster has six city managers in eight years and three police chief in four years. Term limits ensure that the council always represents the people and not special interests. Westminster has seen the same faces in City Hall for decades.

- Neighboring cities of Westminster all have term limits and work well. Assembly, Governor, and President positions also have term limits.