GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – How long is too long to serve?
Jim Schmitt has spent more than 15 years as the mayor of Green Bay. He won four elections.
Now, deciding not to run for re-election, Schmitt’s pushing for term limits.
“I’ve evolved on this issue.”
He tells FOX 11 both the mayor and members of the city council should be limited to 12 years in office.
“I think there are people out there who would like to see term limits. I don’t think they’re angry. I just think they think it’s the right thing to do. I think it’s healthy.”
“It’s just a matter of grand-standing,” said former alderman Guy Zima, who served 40 years on the city council before losing his seat in April.
Zima tells FOX 11 he’s not a fan of term limits.
“Every election is a term limit because you only get to run every two years and you have to prove to yourself every two years that you’re the one to do it.”
Schmitt is not the first to bring up the idea of term limits in Green Bay.
In April 1995, voters overwhelming passed an advisory referendum to limit the number of terms for both the mayor and the council. Sixty-four percent of voters approved the measure.
In that same election, Paul Jadin was elected mayor.
“Term limits are not the Democratic way, but if the voters of Green Bay want them, I’ll honor that.”
Jadin left office after two terms. His successor, Schmitt, is in his fourth term.
“It’s sad that this community voted for term limits on a vote of two-to-one back in 1995 and the council didn’t act on it,” said Schmitt.
Zima was on the city council back in 1995.
“We were told that state law prohibited it and I think the majority of the people on the council knew that two years in districts that are 500 to 5,000 people, you don’t need term limits to have turnover.”
According to the state’s Legislative Council, towns and counties are not allowed under the law to impose term limits.
But according to the Wisconsin League of Municipalities, cities can impose term limits.
Schmitt says the only obstacle is getting the council to vote to enact term limits.
“We don’t see any laws prohibiting us from adopting term limits here in the city of Green Bay. It’s something I think we should do.”
Schmitt says if his effort to get term limits doesn’t pass at the city council level, he’ll try to collect enough signatures to put a binding referendum on the ballot in the future.
