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Thread: Term Limits ? Does Lancaster need them ?

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    Member Greg Sojka's Avatar
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    Term Limits ? Does Lancaster need them ?

    Would the readers of speak up WNY support term limits for Supervisor?Town Board? School Board ? I firmly believe term limits are necessary. They promote new fresh ideas and help prevent corruption. I believe you are elected to serve NOT make a career out of it .

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Pro's and con's to this.

    In Cheektowaga I think term limits would help in eliminating status quo and nepotism. Think about the the same names we see on our town board or elected positions over time. I know people say "Well the people elected them again so they must be doing something right". Yes and no. What I see is a small social club of people who happen to market themselves better than others. Doesn't mean they are more qualified to run our town, it means they are just better at keeping control for their friends and family.

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Sojka View Post
    Would the readers of speak up WNY support term limits for Supervisor?Town Board? School Board ? I firmly believe term limits are necessary. They promote new fresh ideas and help prevent corruption. I believe you are elected to serve NOT make a career out of it .
    In the past, I was skeptical about term limits Greg, but I have changed my mind. I am inclined toward supporting term limits for all elected offices, local, state, and federal.

    I believe that no elected official should serve no more than eight CONSECUTIVE years in any one office. At the end of the eight years, the office holder would be free to pursue higher office, or to wait four years to attempt another run.

    IMHO, such an interregnum would give the office holder the opportunity to live as a private citizen with the consequences of his previous policies. If the former office holder does make another bid, the office holder would do so with a fresh perspective.

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    Term limits are always proposed by people who can't get their way in elections and want to fall back on laws to do what they can't do at the polls. If a majority of voters want change they'll get it. Why in God's name would you want to limit arbitrarily the term of an excellent and effective public servant so that he or she can be replaced by whosoever surfaces at the time. Additionally, term limits lead elected officials to avoid hard choices and kick the can down the road, knowing they won't have to be there to pick up the pieces. If you're so unhappy with your representation get out there and run.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by grump View Post
    If you're so unhappy with your representation get out there and run.
    That isn't really a fair answer to give people. Many people have businesses/jobs that take up their time where they can't really drop and stop to run of office.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    That isn't really a fair answer to give people. Many people have businesses/jobs that take up their time where they can't really drop and stop to run of office.
    Term limits won't change that.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    What term limits will do is rid the system of people who are in the system merely to line their pockets.

    Here is something I don't personally care for. People who run for office and win. Then 1 or 2 years later they are running for another office without finishing their previous commitment. If you ran for a 4 year seat you stay there 4 years.

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    Want to see "Term Limits" - take away tax funded benefits and pensions from Councilmen/women. No tax funded healthcare, no tax funded pensions and watch them create their own term limits.

    They work less than part time and are eligible for tax funded pension credits after only five years on the job/seat.
    #Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Sojka View Post
    Would the readers of speak up WNY support term limits for Supervisor?Town Board? School Board ? I firmly believe term limits are necessary. They promote new fresh ideas and help prevent corruption. I believe you are elected to serve NOT make a career out of it .
    1) Term Limits will never happen because career politicians on both sides will never act to make it happen. They are quite content eating out of the public funded trough – although in Lancaster council members do not receive health benefits.

    2) If it ever did happen, the career politician will just seek another office or get appointed to a patronage position (like in some Authority) and will still be living off the public dole. If all else fails, he or she can become a lobbyist; or in today's world a hired disruptive 'organizer'.

    3) Unfortunately for you Greg, you live in a blue state and in a town that is heavily public sector pro union and vis-à-vis.

    Your Lancaster Republican Party has to select viable candidates and with personal lives pure as the driven snow in order to oust a political savvy Democratic Party machine with a majority of registered voters that will go to any lengths to mischaracterize, demean and slander an opposition candidate; as is their past modus operandi.

    A Democratic Party who was so deplete of viable candidates in the last town election that it chose a Supervisor candidate of retirement age who only ran because there was no other viable; a registered Conservative and a non affiliated (blank) for Town Board members. And, they all won.

    The DEMS savaged the Rep candidates so bad that even the registered Republican voters didn’t come out to vote for their party’s candidates.

    Hope your Party has some good candidates lined up for the upcoming election because the present board makeup appears to be doing a pretty fair job.

    Oh, say hello to Mohr and Langworthy from me – NOT! They are such a great Republican Party political support team for the Town of Lancaster candidates.

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    Member gorja's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec View Post
    1) Term Limits will never happen because career politicians on both sides will never act to make it happen. They are quite content eating out of the public funded trough – although in Lancaster council members do not receive health benefits.

    2) If it ever did happen, the career politician will just seek another office or get appointed to a patronage position (like in some Authority) and will still be living off the public dole. If all else fails, he or she can become a lobbyist; or in today's world a hired disruptive 'organizer'.

    3) Unfortunately for you Greg, you live in a blue state and in a town that is heavily public sector pro union and vis-à-vis.

    Your Lancaster Republican Party has to select viable candidates and with personal lives pure as the driven snow in order to oust a political savvy Democratic Party machine with a majority of registered voters that will go to any lengths to mischaracterize, demean and slander an opposition candidate; as is their past modus operandi.

    A Democratic Party who was so deplete of viable candidates in the last town election that it chose a Supervisor candidate of retirement age who only ran because there was no other viable; a registered Conservative and a non affiliated (blank) for Town Board members. And, they all won.

    The DEMS savaged the Rep candidates so bad that even the registered Republican voters didn’t come out to vote for their party’s candidates.

    Hope your Party has some good candidates lined up for the upcoming election because the present board makeup appears to be doing a pretty fair job.

    Oh, say hello to Mohr and Langworthy from me – NOT! They are such a great Republican Party political support team for the Town of Lancaster candidates.

    Georgia L Schlager

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    Member Greg Sojka's Avatar
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    Politicians and diapers should be changed often,and for the same reason. Term limits would keep both parties in check . I was told that many of the Lancaster Republican candidates are harassed,threatened,and intimidated. I also heard the Democrats may have a primary for town board. Let us hope a few brave people step up. Will the winds of change blow through Lancaster? Maybe the statistics of Lancaster 2016 voting will continue.

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    4248, actually it's 10 years now to vest a pension but what the hell.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    That isn't really a fair answer to give people. Many people have businesses/jobs that take up their time where they can't really drop and stop to run of office.
    We've had people on my town board who worked full time and ran businesses and they were some of the best board members we've had. And if being on the town board is the part time do nothing job everyone says it is we should all be able to handle it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    What term limits will do is rid the system of people who are in the system merely to line their pockets.

    Here is something I don't personally care for. People who run for office and win. Then 1 or 2 years later they are running for another office without finishing their previous commitment. If you ran for a 4 year seat you stay there 4 years.
    With all due respect I think term limits will increase the number of people running to line their pockets. They'll know that no matter how cruddy they are they'll probably get their limit even if they do nothing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by grump View Post
    4248, actually it's 10 years now to vest a pension but what the hell.
    I know for civilians its 10 years - politicians are vested in 5. Check it out - unless it was changed recently. They are eligible for NYS Deferred Compensation retirement plans as well - in Lancaster they have what's called the "Benefits Menu" - where the elected and appointed folks can chose all the eligible benefits like no copay dentistry - eye care - hearing aids -AFLAC insurance and many more tax funded options.
    Anything a Town tax funded employees - Union or Non Union are eligible for - they can have it too !
    Try and FOIL that folder/info - BOO HOO HA HA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    #Dems play musical chairs + patronage and nepotism = entitlement !

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