MargateNews.net - http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/ Original Article URL: http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/news/articles/article268.asp Time for Term Limits in Margate? • Career politicians may inhibit effective government By Mitchell Pellecchia, Staff Writer Saturday, January 2, 2010 Unlike numerous other Broward cities, Margate has no set term limits for City Commissioners. Incumbents can run as many times as they like and, as long as they continue to win elections, they can spend decades representing Margate voters – as several current commissioners have. Critics of term limits, mostly politicians, lobbyists and the special interests they represent, will tell you that the election process is the ultimate ‘term limit,’ in that taxpayers decide by majority vote who will and who won't be ‘termed out’ of office at election time. _______________ Advocates of term limits insist that they’re a means by which fresh blood and new ideas are infused into the political process and are a way to discourage political careerists.    Retired developer and reigning Mayor, Arthur Bross, was first elected to the Margate City Commission in 1988.  Acting Vice Mayor, Joseph Varsallone, a semi-retired self-employed insurance agent, has held on to his commission seat since 1985.  Frank Talerico, an audiologist by trade, is enjoying his fifth term as a Margate Commissioner after first elected to the commission almost 16 years ago.  With the exception of losing her seat for one term in 1997, Commissioner Pam Donovan, the acting Public Information Officer for the City of North Lauderdale, has been on the Margate dais since 1991.  A relative ‘newbie’ to city politics compared to the others, bar owner David McLean, is enjoying his second of two consecutive terms as commissioner since serving his first in the 1980s. Each Margate commissioner brings his / her own strengths to the dais. Bross, intimate with the business of development, has been integral in changing city zoning laws and building codes over the years. Varsallone, a veteran and outspoken patriot, is intuitive and inquisitive – definitely not a ‘yes man.’ Talerico, God-fearing and educated, brings integrity, faith and wisdom to the dais while Donovan, daughter of a news magnet, fuses politics with PR and is seemingly compelled to represent voters’ best interests. McLean? He’s a small business watchdog of sorts. The long-time Margate resident has bought a sold a few bars in the area, is an Elvis impersonator and, as a small business owner, would probably like to see the city’s sign codes revamped. The existing commission has paved roads in Margate, upgraded parks, erected a new City Hall and launched the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency. Their contributions to Margate living are widespread and the general consensus among Margate voters -- as indicated by election results time and time again – is positive. The upside to term limits Since the U.S. Constitution was amended in 1951 to limit U.S. Presidents to two terms, political scientists have rallied for the benefits of term limits in Congress, and at state and municipal levels. Currently, 15 states (Florida among them) have terms limits for their legislators – and thousands of cities and towns across the country the same. The initial goal of term limits was to end careerism among politicians and to foster public policies compatible with limited government.   When in office too long, career politicians begin to pay less attention to the needs and wishes of their constituents and more attention to expanding government, reports public policy research foundation the Cato Institute. White Papers published by the think tank show that the longer an individual stays in office, the greater his / her support for increased government spending. An example of this in Margate is the windfall spending on government salaries during the boom years 2004-2006, and the seemingly endless expansion of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA continues to buy devalued properties along the State Road 7 corridor in the hopes of one day erecting a downtown district – the original plans of which may no longer be feasible. In addition to needless expansion of government, studies by The Heritage Foundation point to the damage done by career politicians’ cozy relationships with lobbyists and special interest groups. In Margate, this is evident in commissioners’ closeness to lobbyist Jack Tobin, a political manipulator who parades private clients before the same commissioners for whom he provides campaign backing. This presents a quandary for voters, as their respect for elected officials is diminished by the perception of corruption in potentially honest government. Terms limits for commissioners could benefit the City of Margate in a number of ways. First, there would be a greater exchange of ideas over time. Second, resident participation in government might be increased by a constant flux of new faces on the dais. Third, terms limits would stimulate more competition in the electoral process, which may lead to greater involvement in government by the young and ethnic. Lastly, enhanced governmental scrutiny resulting from the heightened turnover of incumbents may lead to a more cost-efficient Margate government. Polls conducted by The Heritage Foundation show that the majority (60 percent) of American men, women, Democrats, Republicans and Independents are in support of term limits. __________________________________________ Get MargateNews.net on your desktop, laptop or mobile Internet with customizable RSS (Real Simple Syndication) Feeds. Receive all the news, or just some of it, as soon as it’s published! Sign up now. Access the wireless version of this website by visiting http://www.margatenews.net/margatenews/wireless with your WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) Internet-enabled wireless device. Copyright © MargateNews.net 2009