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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

"Wrong leadership to propose term limits," says T.J.


Term Limit Change Right, Proposed Leadership Wrong
By T.J. Connolly

After nearly a decade and a half of the most archaic term limit rules in the nation, San Antonio finds itself with a Mayor in Phil Hardberger, a City Manager in Sheryl Sculley, and a City Council that they believe in and trust,. A combined group of leaders that have won near unanimous confidence with the general public over the past 20 months.

Since the voters, by nearly a 3-to-1 margin adopted the current term limits in 1990, the San Antonio Greater (?) Chamber has launched not one but two attempts to overturn the public’s decision. Both efforts, while highly funded, have failed miserably. Why? Because the leadership at City Hall wasn’t right, and the leadership in the private sector was even worse.

Now comes word that the new 2007 Greater (?) Chamber Chair Brenda Vickrey Johnson has made changing the current term limits rules a top priority for her Chamber agenda in 2007. Admirable goal? You bet. Needed change? Definitely. The wrong organization to lead the charge? Absolutely.

While the Greater (?) Chamber’s goal is commendable, as were their two previous tries, they are the wrong ones to lead the charge. Here’s how it will likely go.

The Greater (?) Chamber will form an “independent committee” that will spend hours pouring over other City’s term limit rules, and return with a unanimous committee report. As they have in the pervious cases, the Chamber’s recommendation will call for the establishment of two four-year terms.

At which time highly respected and highly read Express-News columnist Roddy Stinson will say “Hell no!” Stinson has indicated in past failed campaigns that he believes three two-year terms or four two-year terms are more acceptable to him. And as long as Stinson remains a front-page Metro Columnist, his opinion matters.

And COPS (Communities Organized for Public Service) have agreed with Roddy ion the past on this.
As has Metro Alliance too.
Along with key neighborhood associations.

But most importantly, the voters that voted the limits in back in ‘91 have gone on to support the current two-year two-term in every challenge since.
The answer for the Chamber is to raise the money needed to allow Mayor Hardberger to lead an effective campaign. But the Greater (?) Chamber needs to sit on the side lines.

Only Mayor Hardberger, by force of both performance and personality has the ability to orchestrate a term limits change. And the most palatable to the public may be the one the Greater (?) Chamber doesn’t like but will need to accept: four two-year terms.

And when all is said and done, no one will stand in the way of the Greater (?) Chamber taking the credit for the change. And they will rightfully deserve the lion’s share of the credit for funding the campaign. But they are the last ones that should be on the front lines publicly leading the charge.

For the first time in 17 years, term limits can successfully be amended in 2007. But Mayor Hardberger’s leadership, and not the Greater (?) Chamber is the only one that can make that happen.

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