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| Fast Talk |
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| Written by Ron Swift / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 19 January 2008 | |
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Elected officials’ tenure should not be shortened — it worked in the past Picture a wise ol’ raccoon scampering up a tree, leaving behind a yappy hound dog.  Ron Swift Mr. Raccoon then hops across to the branches of a nearby tree, listens amusedly for a bit, then shouts down with glee, “Hey, hound dog, you’re barking up the wrong tree!” Such is the case with the effort of a new Patterson resident who is promoting the idea of term limits for local City Council members. Donna Worley is circulating a petition to put such a measure on the ballot. The problem is there really is not much, if any, of a problem. Worley’s petition calls for limiting to two terms those elected to the council and to the position of mayor. Council members are elected to four-year terms, while the mayor serves only a two-year term. Thus, council members and the mayor could serve only eight and four years respectively. Patterson first went to the direct election of its mayor in 1982. Before that, the council itself selected its mayor from among its five members every two years. But local voters decided in 1980 that they wanted to choose their mayor. They also decided rather overwhelmingly to do so every two years, rather than have it be a four-year term. Thus, every two years since 1982, Pattersonites have elected two members to the council as well as a mayor, the latter having to stand for re-election twice as often as the regular council members. If voters are dissatisfied with the actions of the council, they have an opportunity to elect a new majority — three — every two years. But do our elected officials remain in office for term after term after term, as Ms. Worley’s petition drive suggests? Hardly. Here’s a summary since the method of election was changed in 1982. Pat Maisetti served two terms as mayor (1982-86), then a third in 1992-94. Under Worley’s plan, Maisetti could not have run for that third separated term. Wade Bingham served three terms as mayor (1986-92). He also could not have served that final two years. Tim Durban held the mayor’s position one term (1994-96). Then came Richard Dodds, who served four terms (1996-2004). He also would have been termed out after four years under the proposal. Then came David Keller. He was mayor from 2004-06, having first served six years — a term and a half — on the council. Becky Campo now holds the mayor’s seat, having been elected in late 2006. She previously spent 10 years as a council member, winning three elections. She could not have run for a third term on the council under the Worley plan. Only one of the nearly dozen regular council members who served from 1982 ever spent more than two terms — eight years — on the council. Just one. That was Nancy Brown, who was first appointed to the council and then served two four-year terms. Her tenure was 10½ years. Just why don’t Patterson’s elected city officials opt for longer tenure in office, as has been experienced on the local school and health care boards? Those I’ve talked with over the years have mentioned three reasons: the increasing complexities of the job, the stress on family life, and the unpleasant hassles that come with being a public servant. It should be noted that the longer a person is in office and remains in the public spotlight, the better known he or she becomes. That brings more unpleasantness coming their way, as compared with newer council members. To explain it better, newly elected officials rarely receive those irate nighttime phone calls given to more well-known officeholders. But when the shine of newness wears off, the headaches usually begin. You can add still a fourth reason for officeholders not wishing to seek re-election, or not becoming a candidate in the first place. That is the time, effort and expense needed for campaigning in our growing community. For candidates to meet their constituents and hear their concerns, it has grown increasingly necessary for them to walk the streets and knock on doors. Visualize undertaking this task yourself. Patterson has a darn lot of streets. In recent years, women have been in the majority on Patterson’s council. None of the three women now serving the city — Mayor Campo, Annette Smith and Dejeune Shelton — are longtime Pattersonites whose families have lived here for decades. And Dodds and Durban were relative newcomers when elected as mayor. The Old Guard stigma of running affairs in City Hall has long past in Patterson. Ms. Worley’s proposal, even if approved by the voters, wouldn’t accomplish much, if anything. LEARNING TIME In keeping with Fast Talk’s new policy of stimulating the intellect, here’s the educational message of the week: “Jiffy” is an actual unit of time, meaning 1/100th of a second. When you call your kids for dinner and they holler back that they’ll be there in a jiffy, don’t believe them. Oh, you don’t already? FOR THE SPORTS FAN I was never a Bret Favre fan until the “over-the-hill” geezer surprised us all with a marvelous comeback that has his Green Bay Packers on the brink of heading to the Super Bowl. Now he’s one of my favorite gridders, and I’m pulling for Favre to use his passion for the game, his determination to win, and his “have fun” attitude to do just that. Wouldn’t it be something to have the cool and unrattled Tom Brady and his undefeated Patriots square off against the wizened old pro for all the marbles. The NFL should be so fortunate. AND FINALLY … Remember that money isn’t everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch. Ron Swift is editor/publisher emeritus of the Patterson Irrigator. His column appears weekly in this space.
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