Limiting Terms in Redondo Beach

Regarding the article about Redondo Beach Councilman Ron Cawdrey (Times, Feb. 18):

Mr. Cawdrey wants to repeal the restrictions imposed by voters 15 years ago to limit a council person to two terms for a total of eight years.

He cites the current terms of the city attorney, city treasurer and city clerk as unrestricted and therefore (says) it is unfair to restrict a council person’s term. What he fails to realize in this analogy is, unlike the positions mentioned, a City Council member is able to write new laws and appeal old ones that affect the Redondo Beach community at large.

In the article, Cawdrey is quoted as saying, “It seems that by the time our elected officials get to the point where they know their way around City Hall, they’re out of office.” His own statement contains the seeds for the very action voiced by voters 15 years ago. Elected officials sometimes learn their way around City Hall too well. They learn their way so well that they can move about in the dark, keeping their constituents blind to their motives, blind to campaign donations made by business interests, blind to self-serving interests.

Cawdrey is also quoted as saying, “The thing that bothers me (about the current charter) is that I can never run for council again. Never!” My question to Mr. Cawdrey is if the position of City Council person is supposed to be a career. Is it not in the best interest of the community to have individuals with renewed enthusiasm for the city? What advantage is it to having a council person so weighted down with cronyism that City Hall is out of balance with public interest?

If Cawdrey takes a moment to reflect on his own motives (and I trust they are honorable), I hope he will realize that the city is alive and needs to shed its council persons after eight years. Failure to do so is to plant the seeds of cronyism and self-serving business interest.

RICHARD BRASSAW

Redondo Beach