When Brentwood voters go to the polls on April 7, 2015, to elect aldermen for all four wards, plus the mayor, the term lengths might end up being shorter than the current four years.
Residents approved lengthening terms for alderman and mayor from two to four years in November 2010, but now the mayor and aldermen are looking into giving residents the opportunity to reduce the terms, though it’s not clear what they might be voting on.
The terms of Anthony Harper (Ward 1), Lee Wynn (Ward 2), Keith Robertson (Ward 3), Tom Kramer (Ward 4) and Mayor Pat Kelly all expire in April 2015
At Monday’s board of aldermen meeting Leahy said state statues define how to lengthen terms but not shorten them.
He said a fourth class city, which is what Brentwood is, can’t put a referendum on the ballot, which means voters can’t vote to approve either four, three or two-year terms.
He said it may end up being changed as an ordinance by the board of aldermen, but that’s not spelled out in state statue, so the state attorney general has been asked about the best way to proceed.
Kelly said giving residents the chance to decide the length of terms is what Leahy wanted, and wasn’t the direction of the board of alderman and mayor.
“My suggestion would be to go back to the two-year term, but that would be up to the board to make a motion and vote on it,” Kelly said. “I still think the mayor term should be four years and the aldermen should be two. That is the control.”
City attorney, Frank Albrecht said there’s no clear direction if going back to a two-year term would require going back to voters.
Kramer said the voters decided to make it four years, and “if it’s going to change again, it should be up to the voters. For now we should wait for the attorney general’s opinion, if there is one. In reality it’s really up to the residents. They put us in here. They can tell us how long they want us or if they don’t.”
What this town needs is term limits. What difference does if make how long a term is if they are elected over and over for 10 years or more. Mayor for life 2 years at a time is still mayor for life.
The mayor has consistently seen his role as a unilateral activist at every opportunity he could find. He needs to go. Ald. Kramer should run as his replacement. In reading the article, I quote the balance and fairness in Ald. Kramer’s statement:
“Kramer said the voters decided to make it four years, and “if it’s going to change again, it should be up to the voters. For now we should wait for the attorney general’s opinion, if there is one. In reality it’s really up to the residents. They put us in here. They can tell us how long they want us or if they don’t.” EXACTLY the point the mayor refuses to acknowledge.
Of course the mayor thinks his own term should be longer. He’s already said that even if the alderpersons vote to shorten his terms he’ll veto. Clearly by “That is the control” he means “That’s how I want to control”…