Supervisors Split Over Term Limits

Supervisors are giving a mixed reception to a proposed November ballot measure that would limit members of the Board of Supervisors to two consecutive four-year terms in office.

Supervisor Marian Bergeson suggested the ballot measure earlier this month, saying public opinion surveys show wide support for term limits. The board will decide today whether to place it on the ballot.

But several of Bergeson’s colleagues have expressed concerns about the proposal.

Supervisor William G. Steiner said that while he generally supports term limits, he wants the county to hold off on a decision until the state completes its own examination of the term-limits question.

The county cannot impose term limits on several county positions including the sheriff and the district attorney because the offices were created under the state constitution, he said.

“I’d like to hold off on supporting this until we see what the state is going to do,” said Steiner, who has already announced he will not seek another term.

Supervisor Don Saltarelli said last week that he has not made a decision on Bergeson’s proposal. But he is “philosophically opposed” to term limits because they restrict the public’s right to choose candidates, he said.

“I think it removes an American liberty,” Saltarelli said. “This is difficult because it’s a philosophical issue, yet you still want to be responsible to the voters and what they really want.”