Should elected Montezuma County officials be subject to term limits?

Voters will be able to decide during the November general election, the Montezuma County Commission said Monday.

In a rare split decision the board voted 2-1, with Gene Story dissenting, to put a resolution on the ballot asking voters’ permission to lift term limits.

County officials who will be put out of office because of term limits, if the measure does not pass, are Assessor Bob Cruzan, Story, Treasurer Bobbie Spore, and Clerk Evie Ritthaler.

Supporters of term limits argue they are an effective way to promote change in government, while opponents believe it is an infringement on the rights of public officials to hold elected office and of voters to elect whom they want.

Term-limits advocates say incumbents have an unfair advantage because name recognition and experience make it difficult for the average citizens to run against them.

Those for eliminating the cap of two consecutive terms per elected official argue that the law hurts rural communities that must contend with a smaller population and a diminished pool of qualified candidates, plus it disrupts government with frequent turnover of staff.

They also say that incumbents can still be voted from office during the normal election process.

The proposal to put the question on the ballot to remove term limits was supported by the local Republican and Democratic parties as well as the League of Women Voters. However, Montezuma County voters turned down a similar proposal in 1998.

The commissioners had discussed limiting the propossal to certain, non-political officers such as the treasurer’s, but decided to include all county offices instead.

The district attorney would not be affected by the proposal because he or she is part of a larger district.