1999-12-04 Charter Commission Minutes

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minutes 12-04-99Page 14 of 39 RAY: We don’t have a motion on the floor so - YOSHIYAMA: No, but in our discussion, all the comments I heard relates to the - HERKES: Oh no. I’m talking term limits overall. YOSHIYAMA: So it’s overall, okay. HERKES: You looked at me, so I’m just going to say I don’t like term limits. HIGASHI: What’s the Prosecutor? YOSHIYAMA: It’s not for the Prosecutor. RAY: John. SANTANGELO: Roland, I can’t agree with you more. On the other hand, I’m going to disagree. I think, if we look at this, the overall package that we put out has a perception to it, and if we’re trying to do good business, if we’re trying to do good government, then if I had a druther, I’d rather go with this mix of single member and at-large versus a single member, at- large, a term - I mean, it starts to take on a flavor of its own that could be very negative, and frankly, limiting major things. So non-partisan and something like this, I think, has a much better chance than throwing something that is - it is a buzz saw. RAY: want to put forth any sort of a specific proposal in regard to term limits? There are lots of possibilities here. Eddie, you’ve got something to say? ALONZO: Yes. What is the requirements for retirement from County Council? MARTIN: Ten years. RAY: And that had a lot to do with the talk about it, as far as the ten year retirement, and I guess that’s still the way it is. Actually, it was interesting. When that discussion took place, that was incorrect. At that time, when it was voted on, you could vest in five years, as an elected official, and most people didn’t even know that. But that’s changed now. I think now it’s ten years. It rolled over. When I was elected, I think I was the last elected cycle, that if I’d have stayed in one more term, I could have vested. So I could have vested in five years. MARTIN: The old program? RAY: Yes, under the old program. I believe it’s ten years now but that was part of the discussion, but they misunderstood it. ALONZO: So if we went term limits, that means we go two terms or four years, they won’t get any - RAY: Would not. And that was the whole public sentiment, this idea of an ulterior motive and you’re just running for the benefits. HIGASHI: When we talk about term limits, we’re talking in the office that it serves. Is that kind of correct, Steve? BESS: Yes. HIGASHI: Because if a person runs for a single member district and then chooses to run in an at-large district, that wouldn’t prevent him from running for another office, or another seat. Is that kind of a true scenario? BESS: That’s right. MARTIN: Well, I don’t know. If the wording is consecutive, no matter how you come up with it, once you do eight years, you can’t go no more. file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 12-04-99.html7/1/2011