Andy Ross of New Haven Ct
By Andy Ross
When we hear the words “term limits,” our first thought might be that the words have something to do with insurance. Term limits, however, refers to limiting the number of years (or terms) that a person can serve in one elected office. I don’t think that the relationship is too far-fetched: In a way, term limits for politicians are a type of insurance—they insure against complacency, and they ensure that we will benefit from the type of elected officials that our Founding Fathers wanted us to have.
Rather than develop a separate professional political class, who may eventually become removed from the wishes and needs of the general population, I suggest strongly that we begin at the local level to consider setting term limits for elected offices in the city of New Haven. We can’t start too soon.
Politics has become a career for some; term limits would not only prevent career politicians, but would also promote citizen leaders. We need people with fresh ideas who can energize our government structure on many levels. A 1995 study by Doug Bandow for the Cato Institute suggested that term limits actually increase voter choice by making elections more competitive and encouraging more candidates to run for office. As well, cities that have implemented term limits have discovered that more candidates—and more diverse candidates—are running for office.
People can argue that the longer a politician is in office, the better he or she knows his constituency and the more effective he or she can be, but I disagree. Politicians who have served for many years can become dangerous. They can build up too many cronies and allies, and they can be tempted too easily to show favoritism, or worse, to look the other way about corruption.
By limiting terms in office, elected officials will have time to do their jobs well without having to think about running another campaign. Having a limited amount of time in which to achieve their goals will force them to make those goals a reality, as they can concentrate fully on the matters at hand. An elected official’s primary concern should not be his or her pension, or his or her record for serving in an office for the longest period of time.
I believe strongly that New Haven’s Board of Aldermen should consider setting term limits for elected city officials. I think that three terms of three years (for a total of nine years) for Mayor and two terms of three years (for a total of six years) for Aldermen would be the first step in getting New Haven going in the right direction.
Andy Ross
612 Chapel Street
New Haven, Ct 06511
203-641-4666
andy@andyrossgroup.com
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