Over the past 30 years or so I have had many a discussion about the pros and cons of term limits. Full disclosure right up front: I am absolutely an advocate for limiting the terms of pretty much everything from judges, to all sorts of elected officials, to board and commission members.
From local positions to national ones, I think that at some reasonable point everyone should willingly or unwillingly take a break.
I became a mayor in Addison, Texas, largely because the mayor before me had served for about 16 years and couldn’t see himself as anyone else. When it was all about to dissolve into nothing at best or criminal charges at worst, he took his own life.
He was a local visionary and a charming man who became so solid in his position that he essentially took perceived personal responsibility for and of the town. Don’t get me wrong, he did some remarkable things. There were accomplishments that were exceptional in how they shaped the town’s future. But in the end and it was an epic and tragic end; he forgot that it wasn’t “his town.”
The frequent problem with overarching power is when you believe whatever you do is acceptable. You have taken ownership of the means and the outcome so the restrictive mandates of government are not restricting at all. They are just inconveniences to be ignored.
Lord Acton’s phrase from the 1800’s about “absolute power corrupting absolutely” isn’t just some clever, glib line.
The frailty of our humanity is subject to the siren song of power making us believe we are doing the right thing or even worse that the end justifies the means. The longer someone is there, the more likely it is to become a reality.
I say this with confidence because I experienced that faulty sense of personal importance. The feeling that comes from making speeches and having people tell you what a great job you are doing and getting all the invitations to important events and being recognized at gatherings of influential people and having your name in the paper regularly just because of your position. It is heady stuff and it is easy to get addicted to that “high.”
I believed in the danger of excessive years in office so much that we did a charter change to our local government to limit the terms. Unfortunately, unlike Columbus, Starkville doesn’t have that option. We would have to ask for state legislative action to even put term limits before our citizens for their decision.
There are plenty of examples of excessive time in office right here in Starkville and Oktibbeha County. We have people on boards and commissions who have been there in some cases for over 20 years. When I first came back to Starkville I got appointed to a board that had some folks on it who had been there for so long they mostly slept through the meetings.
I never quite understood why, if they were so bored as to nod off, they hadn’t resigned or at least not applied for reappointment. It wasn’t like we were getting a free meal. We have members of very important autonomous commissions who have abdicated their role of board member to the leadership without questioning the actions they are being asked to approve.
The other side of the argument is that if you are doing a good job why shouldn’t you get reelected or reappointed. That would presume that others wouldn’t do as good a job or wouldn’t bring something fresh and valuable to the table.
That single individual will never be the sole thread that holds together the entire fabric of the organization. I believe the downside of entrenchment is too steep to take that chance.
I don’t know why we are so reluctant to change our leaders. Maybe it is better the devil you know than the one you don’t or maybe we just quit thinking about it unless there is some scandal that forces the change or perhaps we think the person deserves it because they have been good in the past. When it comes to government roles either appointed or elected there is no one who is entitled to anything.
The private sector isn’t immune to the effects of extended job entrenchment either; they just aren’t playing with the taxpayers’ sacred trust or dollars.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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