Elected Officials Have Lifetime Office

We need term limits for every elected office in America.

To make that happen on the federal level, it would require a constitutional amendment. That is all but impossible since one hasn’t been passed in more than thirty years when the 27th Amendment was ratified. Federal judges serve for life. The average life span in 1787 when the Founders were drafting the Constitution was 34.5 years.

My state, Florida, has set term limits for most state elected offices at 8 years since 1992. Last year, they enacted the same for local school board members. While chartered counties can enact term limits for themselves, non-chartered counties cannot. They need a bill enacted by the legislature and signed by the governor.

I believe that is one of the ways the people can retake the government from the professional politicians. Please make no mistake, that is what they are. In Martin County they receive a salary of more than $70,000 plus medical and retirement benefits. Does that sound like some part time gig?

They are allowed to hold other jobs and own businesses. There are no set hours except to show up for two commission meetings per month. They each have an administrative assistant and other perks of office.

Currently two commissioners, Sarah Heard and Doug Smith, have been in office for more than 20 years. It appears that the three commissioners who are up for reelection next year intend to run again. Doug Smith is a 5-term incumbent, Ed Ciampi has served 2 terms (plus a 3rd term prior to his current post), and Harold Jenkins has served 2 terms.

The longer someone remains in the office, the more addictive it becomes. They receive differential treatment. Attorneys, lobbyists, staff, and even common people elevate them. Being called commissioner can be intoxicating, and so can having a call returned by other officials when a piece of information or help is needed.

The same people in office year after year is not good for the body politic. The adage that the people can vote the person out is true but also naïve. Political contributions flow to the incumbent. Those who fund campaigns stick with the person they know except if that commissioner has opposed their interests in the past.

We also need to cut salaries and benefits. If they can only be there for 8 years, why is medical insurance and especially retirement part of the package? Commissioners should not be tinkering with the minutia of county projects. Their duties are to make policy and be the legislative body for the county. The county administrator is the one that carries out the policy and oversees the government.

There are many reasons why our system is broken. One of them is that we should have citizen legislators. They are now career legislators from the halls of Washington to the county seat. Fresh ideas are stymied. We should equate being a county commissioner like being on a nonprofit board…you represent your fellow citizens and then you step away. Lifetime sinecures should not be part of the American political system.