Irvine Measures: No on A, Yes on B

In addition to selecting two council members on Election Day, voters in Irvine will also be voting on two ballot measures--one seeking to limit council members to two consecutive four-year terms, and the other providing for the direct election of the mayor.

Residents who believe that the people ought to determine who represents them, and for how long, should support Measure B, the direct election of the mayor, and oppose Measure A’s attempt to place arbitrary and needless limits on the terms of their city council representatives.

Voters in other Orange County communities in recent years have been rejecting the council term limit and opting to elect their mayor rather than have the city council appoint one. And with good reason.

To some people it may seem like a good idea to throw incumbents out of office after two terms. It isn’t. The two-term limit might force out some incompetent, lazy or unresponsive incumbent, but at the same time its rigidness might also push out capable, intelligent and much-desired office-holders whom the public not only needs but also wants to keep. It’s far better to let the democratic process work as it was intended, and let voters select the representatives they want and oust the ones they don’t want.

The ballot box is also a good place to select Irvine’s mayor. One of the traditional arguments given for letting the council continue to make the selection is the fear that an elected mayor might feel more important and more powerful than the rest of the council. But, as a practical matter, the mayor would still be only one of five council votes.

The direct election, however, would end the back-room deals that are so often made between council members wanting to be mayor and their colleagues who want some other concessions in exchange for their votes of support.

It’s important for people to be involved and active in government--especially on the local level, where they can have a direct influence. Irvine residents can help preserve that influence, and a strong democratic system, by voting No on Measure A and Yes on Measure B.