Honolulu City Council Term Limits

[pzarquon]

One of the 12 charter amendments coming up on the November ballot in Honolulu County are questions relating to City Council term limits. Of course, when it comes to ballot wording, our election officials aren't going to make it easy on us, and the specific questions put to us are:

1. Should City Council term limits be replaced by Alternative A or B below; and, separately, to address concerns relating to election of City Council members caused by reapportionment every 10 years, should staggered terms be replaced by Alternative A or B?

2. If Charter Question 1 is approved, which proposal relating to Councilmember terms should be adopted?

• Alternative A. Term limits for Councilmembers and the staggering of Councilmembers' terms shall be eliminated.
• Alternative B. Councilmembers shall be limited to serving a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms, and the staggering of Councilmember terms shall be eliminated.

Presently, council members can serve two consecutive four-year terms, and half the council is up for election/re-election in alternating election years. So we can vote to leave things as they are (Question 1), eliminate both term limits and staggering (Question 2A), or extend the term limit from 8 to 12 years and eliminate staggering (Question 2B). Interestingly, staggering will go no matter what if Question 1 passes.

I'm personally in favor of term limits, and think staggering has worked out fine, so my inclination is to vote no on Question 1. But I guess I'll also have to vote "Alternative B" on Question 2 in casemost voters choose to change the system, because a 12 year term limit is better than none.

But I admit, there's probably more involved here... because why else would the questions be so weirdly worded. Any political gurus want to chime in?

[poinographer]

Re: Honolulu City Council Term Limits

It's worded that way to avoid an outcome where question #1 fails yet option A and/or B passes. It's a crude way to force what is essentially a multiple choice question into the allowed binary ("this or that") format.

i.e. What they are really asking is if the voters want option A, option B, or status quo. As you point out, some people would like a combination, but to provide every possible permutation would create even more confusion (and spoiled ballots). And, iirc, on charter amendment questions spoiled and blank ballots have always been counted with the "no" votes.

[TuNnL]

Re: Honolulu City Council Term Limits

poinographer -

I don’t think pzarquon meant to suggest that people may want a combination of status quo and either alternative A or B ... just that like you started out saying it was an either/or safety valve.

The rest of your post is a very astute and accurate assessment. Whoever worded the question wanted to present the appearance of transparency for someone educated enough to make the distinction.

My guess is that most voters are not that someone, and will scratch their head long enough to leave it blank.

[scrivener]

Re: Honolulu City Council Term Limits

In principle, I am opposed to any one person being in elected office for more than two terms; however, there's a more important principle that leads me to vote for eliminating term limits altogether. The voters should be allowed to elect whomever they want, whether that person is a six-year-old convicted embezzler who lives in a different district, the greatest legislator in the history of humankind and a nine-term electee, or a blithering idiot (as is the case in my council district).

So while I wish my fellow voters would vote incumbents out after two terms, I am against taking that choice away from them.

[1stwahine]

Re: Honolulu City Council Term Limits

...or a blithering idiot (as is the case in my council district.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm sure we don't have the same "blithering idiot" cause we live in different Districts.

I agree with you totally.

Leave it as is.

Auntie Lynn