TERM LIMITS INITIATIVE FILED

November 5, 2013 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Term Limits Committee filed the paperwork today to get voter approval for an ordinance that will limit city officials to twelve consecutive years in office. The group needs to collect 3,306 valid signatures in 180 days to place the measure on the November 2014 ballot.

Vice Mayor Kristine Alessio recently tried to get the City Council to put the ordinance on the ballot, but only Councilmember Ruth Sterling supported her motion. Alessio said, "If the Council won't do its job, the people will get it done. That's the essence of our democracy."

The La Mesa Citizens Oversight Group first suggested the idea last spring. One of its members, local merchant Bill Jaynes, commented, "Term limits remind politicians that they represent the public, and not themselves."

Bill Baber, a local election law attorney, explained that the proposed ordinance limits a person to three consecutive terms as either Mayor or City Councilmember or any combination thereof. Baber added "This is a balanced approach. It's modeled after the term limits law passed by voters in 2012 for the State Legislature, but it replaces the lifetime ban with a cooling off period."

Under the proposed ordinance, a person who serves three consecutive terms in office must wait four years before returning to office. Book store owner Craig Maxwell said "requiring a politician to spend four years out of office among the people is pretty reasonable. When they return to normal civilian life, they get the opportunity to consider the long term effects of the rules they impose on the rest of us."

The La Mesa Term Limits Committee is a city ballot measure committee. The committee files campaign finance forms at the La Mesa City Clerk's office.

The measure has drawn opposition from La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid,  who said,"We already have term limits; it's called an election.” Madrid has been serving as mayor since 1990 and has said he plans to run again in 2014. ECM news partner 10 News reports.