Term Limits Need To Be Tossed Out

The future is now for term limits.

Unless the Legislature acts soon to overturn them, term limits will root out its first Idaho elected officials next January. One of the victims will be Dick Panabaker, the capable Kootenai County commission chairman who has said he’ll seek a third term if he can. Other city, county and school elected officials are holding their breaths, too.

The Idaho Spokesman-Review didn’t support any of Idaho’s three election measures for term limits in the ‘90s.

Many solid elected officials will be forced to the sidelines by the arbitrary limits - and Idaho will be worse off for it.

It’s time for legislators and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to quit dancing around this issue and repeal term limits, at least at the local government level.

Times have changed since term limits were introduced to Gem Staters.

In 1994, the U.S. Congress, then controlled by Democrats, was awash in scandal, some of which involved longtime office holders like former Illinois Congressman Dan Rostenkowski.

Idahoans readily signed petitions and embraced term limits as a reform measure to control spending and rein in congressional excess.

Much to their eventual regret, Republican hopefuls like George Nethercutt of Washington, Helen Chenoweth of Idaho and J.C. Watts Jr. of Oklahoma ran for office in 1994 pledging to limit themselves to three terms.

The issue and the GOP’s Contract with America resonated with voters as Republicans seized control of Congress.

Since then, the courts have overturned congressional term limits.

U.S. Reps. Nethercutt and Watts have reneged on their promise.

And Chenoweth, preparing to step down, probably wishes she’d never vowed to serve only three terms.

In the ensuing years, Idahoans twice have approved term-limit ballot issues for statewide and locally elected officials, each by declining majorities.

In 1998, 16 counties voted against limiting terms for such offices as legislator, commissioner, councilman, school trustee and highway commissioner.

The measure received only 53 percent approval, although it had strong North Idaho backing.

Last year, legislators talked of repealing the limits, which soon will affect them.

But they were cowed by Gov. Kempthorne’s threatened veto. In his first year in office, the governor was reluctant to overturn a measure Idahoans had approved three times.

That would be a sensible position - if the term limits weren’t such bad law.

The ballot box offers the best means of limiting terms.

At the city and county levels, voters regularly turn elected officials out of office. For example, the city of Hayden elected a new mayor and two new City Council members last November. Bonner County routinely changes county officials.

Meanwhile, some local officials stay in office for decades because constituents are satisfied with them, like Coeur d’Alene council members Ron Edinger and Dixie Reid.

The sting of term limits is worse in the rural areas, where taxing districts must scramble to fill elected positions.

A good public official who’s willing to continue serving should be allowed to do so.

The Legislature should drive a stake through this monster.