Connor Nixes Term Limits

By on June 23, 2007 8:15 am in Government, News

The Republican controlled State Senate passed a term limits bill recently, but not with the help of our man in Albany, Martin Connor:

Courier Life: Fierce Battle Over Term Limits: State Senators Eric Adams, Martin Connor, Velmanette Montgomery and John Sampson – all Democrats – shot down the bill. State Senator Carl Kruger was absent for the vote while State Senators Diane Savino and Kevin Parker, also both Democrats, were excused, according to the tally. “I think the Republicans can’t just talk a good game when it comes to term limits and then go about carrying it out by calling for the term limits of those on the top,” said Adams, who said he supports term limits for everyone. “We want a continuous rebirth of ideas, not stagnation,” the newly elected Senator said. “If someone can’t do what he set out to do in eight years, he’s not going to do it in eighteen.”

According to Marty Algaze, a spokesperson for State Senator Conner, the 29-year incumbent legislator was opposed to term limits because “he believes that we already have a term limit system in place that the public could use if they are unhappy about the guy in office.”
“They’re called elections,” he said.

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  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    I’m with Marty (both the Senator and his spokesperson) on this one. I’ve never cottoned to the notion of term limits, which take from the electorate the option of keeping an officeholder who’s doing an outstanding job. What I’d like to see, instead, are changes to the system by which even mediocre politicians can perpetuate their incumbency. Perhaps most effective of such reforms would be taking districting out of the hands of legislators and having an independent, bi- or non-partisan body draw the lines. Also, there should be limitations on the ability of legislative leaders (i.e. Bruno and Silver) to bottle things up.

    Given that these reforms would have to go through the legislature, I realize it’s a difficult task politically. But I don’t think term limits are the cure.

  • steve

    I agree with Claude agreeing with Marty. I would note that we recently saw an example of how disgruntled voters can give the rush to incumbents when they get fed up enough. So there is no need to tinker with the basic system. Yet, term limits keep coming up for discussion, and one argument proponents of terms limits occasionally advance is that some elected officials stay on for too long. We see, for example, a number of nanogenarians in the US Senate; and while their presence there is a testament to their political skills, it may also be that the voters feel bad about voting the old gentlemen out of office. But this is nothing to worry about, because in the end “lifespan” is the ultimate term limit.

  • nabeguy

    State senate elections hardly get the same kind of scrutiny from the voting public as US Senate elections . Most people don’t even have a clear understanding of the issues state senators are running on. Given the cronyism that goes on up in Albany, my only concern is with entrenchment thinking. Is Marty really worried that there’s an up and coming politician that would, or even could, go after his job? I think not.

  • Homer Fink

    Nabeguy – if there is…we’ll find him/her!

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com Claude Scales

    Homer for Senate!