Issue: Term Limits : A former Downey city councilman gathered enough signatures to place a term limits initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot. The measure asks voters to amend the City Charter to restrict council members to two four-year terms in office. Are such term limits necessary?

Joseph E. Di Loreto

Former Downey city councilman and chairman of Term Limits for Downey

The answer is most emphatically yes. Term limits are the only proven way to limit career politicians, to eliminate careerism in politics. It’s the only way to ensure a fresh flow of new ideas, which has proven to be beneficial to government. Term limitations is a principal which has been advocated not by politicians or elected officials, but by the people, because in every case it’s been the voters who have gone out and collected petitions to put it on the ballot. I’m not aware of any city council that has voluntarily put it on the ballot except when they’ve been forced to do so by the initiative process. More than 30 cities in California have enacted term limitations. Twenty-four states have enacted term limitations and it’s pending in nine more. So term limitations is something that all the voters want. Eight years is long enough for any person to get across his ideas and beliefs. If he or she can’t accomplish that in eight years, then they probably don’t belong on the City Council.

Robert Brazelton

Downey mayor

Personally, it doesn’t make any difference to me, because in my wildest dreams I wouldn’t think of serving more than two terms. I’ve been in Downey 36 years and have been involved in numerous community affairs and kept track of the City Council and occasionally supported or opposed certain candidates, and I don’t think there’s ever been a problem with incumbents serving too long to the detriment of this city. On the contrary, those who have served more than two terms, I think the city’s benefited from their experience. From time to time there’s been a dearth of qualified candidates, and if a qualified candidate is elected and is doing a good job, I think he or she should be allowed to continue to serve. There’s never been a problem of unseating an incumbent. I believe it’s been done eight times. The key thing I’ve learned in my three years on the council is there are numerous complexities that have to be dealt with in running a municipal corporation with over a $50-million budget, and it takes time to develop the experience and knowledge to do it.

Joseph Lubin

Downey Citizens City Charter Review Committee

Definitely not. Term limits are not necessary, because when Downey voters don’t like somebody, they’ll vote them out of office, which is different than other cities. We just vote them out. Since Downey has been incorporated, only four council members were elected to three terms. Eight council members were defeated seeking reelection. Downey City Council members do not have the perks of other offices where terms limits have been adopted. Downey Council members do not have compensation. They’re unpaid volunteers. They don’t get pensions. They don’t get city cars. Other places like Los Angeles, Sacramento, the Legislature or Congress, all these other offices get compensation, pensions, vehicles and perks. Downey doesn’t need term limits because it doesn’t have the problems that people associate with the need for term limits.

Barbara Riley

Downey councilwoman

I’m the only person who voted a year ago to put term limitations on the ballot. Term limitations are a positive and effective way of bringing new people into the elected arena. Running against an incumbent puts a burden on a candidate of having a possibility of high-cost campaigning. People that have held office for a long time sometimes intimidate those who might be a candidate against them. It might help to eliminate the negative campaigning and bring about more positive attitudes of what you can bring into the office. New people bring in other groups of people that are interested in supporting the city in many ways. I came from the background of a person who has just worked in the community in volunteer organizations, so I brought into the office the experience of the average citizen, not a political leader. And when you have a turnover, it gives the average person the idea that maybe I can run for the office because I won’t have to bear the burden of running against the Establishment.