Don't Forget: Term Limits Are On The Back of The Ballot

So you will need to turn your ballot over to see two questions put there by the Charter Revision Commission when you vote tomorrow. In full disclosure, I served on the 15 person commission, so of course I strongly advocate that you vote YES on both questions. Question 1 on the ballot gives us the option of going back to two terms for city elected officials (which, as you will recall was changed by city elected officials in 2008 after we already voted twice for it). It also includes a prohibition on these guys changing this again for themselves (which was the best we could do to stop this practice). But what I did not approve of was the exemption of incumbents who are not in their third terms already. I opposed that in the Commission and have written articles for the Daily News and Gotham Gazette expressing my opposition. But despite that one provision we should vote YES now and figure out a way to close the incumbent loophole in 2011. Question 2 is a list of good government reforms that will put you to sleep if you read them all, but suffice to say that they will help make city government more efficient so I hope you vote YES there as well.