Abolish Council Term Limits?

A majority on City Council approved Mayor Feichthaler's initiative to allow the issue of term limits to appear on the April 2007 ballot. Since a two consecutive term limit is part of the City Charter the only way this could change is with voter approval.

What we found interesting was the discussion by some council members who expressed the belief that the voters should be allowed to voice there approval on such issues and therefore allowed this to go forward. How irronic that two of these very same City Council members sang a different tune when they voted against a former mayor’s initiative on city spending to go forward to a voter referendum. Specifically Mayor Kempe authored Ordinance 83-04 which would have regulated government use of any excess money in 2004 and was prevented from allowing the voters any say in what government does on the issue of excess revenue from one budget year to the next budget year.

Kempe's proposal that would have required a City Charter change that was recommended to the city council in 2001 by the Charter Review Commission for placement on the ballot in the 2003 elections. This proposed city charter amendment was unanimously approved by the Charter Review Board. At that time Council members Paul Asfour, AJ Boyd, Tim Day and Gloria Tate all voted against your right to vote on this city charter change. The Cape Coral Civic Association supported having Ordinance 83-04 go before the public. Civic also supports your right to vote on this current issue.