Term limits have come for school board members and city commissioners. Now, county commissioners are being targeted, and they’re not pleased about it.
“This should go t o the people," Wakulla County Commissioner Ralph Thomas told a House committee Wednesday. "The people should decide this. I don’t think this should be called a term limit bill. It should be called an anti-voting rights bill. If you believe it’s what the people want, ask them. Take it to a vote.”
Thomas was among several local officials in opposing a bill that would term limit all county commissioners to eight years in office. That restriction would apply to commissioners in both charter, and non-charter counties. It’s one of the most bi partisan issues out there, says Nick Tombalito with the group, U.S. Term Limits.
“I have nothing to fear because as a term limit supporter, I’m not bluffing. We really are the most popular and bipartisan issue in the history of this country," he said.
That may bit of hyperbole, but several polls have shown the idea receives positive, bipartisan support. The House version of the plan is represented by Escambia Republican Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Escambia.
While the idea of term limits sounds good in theory, Gadsden County Commissioner Brenda Holt notes it could result in a loss of local institutional knowledge. It takes a few years for new commissioners to learn the ins and outs of local government, she says.
“A lot of new commissioners don’t understand the acronyms for two, to three years. They don’t know to go to the state department. They don’t know to be over here [in the legislature],” said Holt.
Rep. Jim Mooney, R-Homestead, echoed Holt's concerns.
"No one disagrees with the term limits," he said. "But I think the eight gets back to institutional knowledge. Where I come from—an area of critical state concern—that institutional knowledge means the world to us, and to have that turnover at eight years, could potentially be devastating.”
The proposal has largely passed with mostly Republican support in the GOP-led legislature, and Democrats like Orlando’s Anna Eskamani have been measured in their opposition—focusing more on allowing local voters to make the final choice.
“It’s a topic that has pros and cons, and I just don’t think we as lawmakers should use our heavy hand to draw that decision, that folks should have the opportunity to talk to local officials and local voters and do what they see as best," said Eskamani.
Issues of local control aside, even some Republicans have more concerns. Rep. Will Holcomb worries that increasing the churn of local officials may only further empower embedded city managers and county administrators who are unelected, and who presently enjoy much more longevity and power than the elected officials whom they officially report to.
"One of the things I want to impress is, when we put Sunshine Laws in place years ago, it made county administrators and city managers the most powerful positions in those counties. I have a small fear that when we roll term limits back to eight years, we’re empowering those positions even more.”
Still the House is electing to bring its original 12-year term limit proposal in line with the Senate bill, which has long established eight year terms for county commissioners. Both chambers’ proposals have cleared their last committee stops and are now poised to go before their respective chambers for full votes.
