TEXT OF SAMPLE BALLOT ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE BBB
Don’t be fooled. The system is NOT broken.
This City Charter amendment does NOT LIMIT, but instead INCREASES, term limits. It extends our current limit of TWO TERMS (eight years) TO THREE TERMS. This change would mean TWELVE YEARS IN OFFICE for incumbent politicians. Does that sound like a strengthening of term limits to you?
Write-in candidacy is not a loophole. It is a statutory right that will not be stopped by this amendment.
This is a deceptive, self-serving amendment that does nothing but benefit politicians. It increases our current 2-term limit to a 3-term limit. Nothing more, nothing less.
Running for office is an extremely costly and time-consuming effort. Faced with a well-financed existing officeholder, many highly qualified candidates are simply unable to compete successfully.
Insider politicians rarely lose elections because of the crushing power of incumbency, which includes the financial support of special interest Political Action Committees (PACs) unavailable to most challengers. This creates an insurmountable funding gap for neighborhood advocates with new or grassroots perspectives.
The public should not have to wait for OVER A DECADE for positive change, fresh candidates, and new ideas.
This amendment favors career politicians dominating local government. The longer they stay in office the less and less responsive they become to constituents.
Expanding to three terms will make our electoral system less free, less competitive, and less representative. We need to maintain our current two-term limit to keep our city government honest, effective, and accountable to voters.
Let’s assure that there is a reasonable opportunity for all to participate in our city government.
Let’s continue to limit the Mayor and Council to two terms.
www.NoToThreeTerms.com
Vote NO on Measure BBB.