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Chafing Under Term Limits, Local Pols Act

Elected officials nationwide push for more time in office

By Gabriel Winant,  Newser User

Posted Sep 10, 2008 10:41 AM CDT

(Newser) – Local politicians across the country are mounting campaigns against the term-limits laws that threaten to force them from office, reports the New York Times. More than 20 governments—including New York City's—are considering repealing term limits, with term-limited politicians spearheading the challenges. "We do a lot of churning here, but we don’t produce a lot of butter," said San Antonio's lame-duck mayor.

"It turns the running of government, to a large degree, to individuals who’ve never been elected by anybody," a Tennessee mayor says of government bureaucrats. Most communities considering a repeal will hold a vote, but New York’s city council may act unilaterally, heightening the threat of a backlash. "To bypass the will of the people without their permission strikes me as profoundly selfish and undemocratic," says a pro-term-limits activist.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 31, 2008. Bloomberg is one mayor who's expressed interest in repealing term limits.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 31, 2008. Bloomberg is one mayor who's expressed interest in repealing term limits.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a news conference in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, June 11, 2008. Gingrich was closely associated with the term limits movement of the early 1990s.
Ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a news conference in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, June 11, 2008. Gingrich was closely associated with the term limits movement of the early 1990s.   (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Construction on the Freedom Tower of the World Trade Center, Sept. 4, 2008, in New York. Some local officials say large projects are more difficult to complete for officials facing term limits.
Construction on the Freedom Tower of the World Trade Center, Sept. 4, 2008, in New York. Some local officials say large projects are more difficult to complete for officials facing term limits.   (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
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If I go away, and it’s not completed, what will happen? . . . The public wonders why we don’t get things done. Well, you have to be there awhile to get things done. - Connie Ladenburg, Tacoma councilmember and bike trail proponent

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