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1,tint'lecL o ti 5--i1L( it LLV SST I'D , ►LtLi `t Term limit/ F Term—limit Continued from page 1B r"eferen um Both relied onrn a legaloopinionifromt the city attorney's office saying that restrictions on holding public office require a constitutional amendment. The opinion, written by. Assistant sent to court City Attorney Joseph Labat, said any city charter amendment setting term limits would be "manifestly r r uncon- stitutional,"and therefore not appro- priate fortheballot. Although recent polls have shown nearly 80 percent favoring term lim- s,4 funcil decision its in Minnesota,state legislators,led ,oby a DFL majority, rebuffed efforts Klin earlier this year to force a statewide Kelvin Diaz referendum on the topic. • niter The term-limit suit alleges breaches ttle.over term limits in Minneapolis landed in of constitutional and democratic cert ednesday with a federal lawsuit trying to force a processes in the city's failure to stib- te 'm-limit referendum into the general election in No- mit the initiative to a vote after it vimber. was brought forward by a valid pe- tition. e suit;came two days after the Minneapolis City - uncil voted without debate to block a referendum that "We have followed the process, h d been sought in a citizen petition signed by nearly played by the rules, and the City 2 ,000 people. Council has refused to put the issue on the ballot,"said Christopher Diet- l' titian organizers had vowed to file the suit by 2 p.m. zen, an attorney representing the Wednesday if Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton failed to veto term-limit coalition. "Preemptively t ' council action. At about 1 p.m.,the mayor released a taking it off the ballot and preventing I ter addressed to Council President Jackie Cherryhomes the people from voting on it is un- i icating that although her "personal sympathies lie constitutional. It ought to be voted th those who advocate term limits,"she would issue no on." v O. City officials counter that Minnesota e suit was filed in U.S. District Court by the Minne- Supreme Court rulings allow them to a lis Term Limits Coalition, which seeks a referendum withhold public votes on proposed o whether to limit elected officials in Minneapolis to city charter changes that are deemed e ht years in office. "manifestly unconstitutional." The f Minnesota Constitution provides m really disappointed," said Patrick Burns, a spokes- only age and residency requirements n for the coalition. "I was really hoping the mayor for holding public office. uld take a courageous stand. She said she supported t m limits. But if it's going to take.a court of law to The proposed referendum, by cir- d. cide it;then so be it." cumventing a change in the state :, constitution, is clearly invalid, said Floyd Olson, the No. 2 official in the e proposed amendment1 would apply only to the City uncil and mayor. The council voted 9-2, with one city attorney's office. "There's no aiistention,to keep the measure off the ballot.The mayor T_ incurred in that decision Wednesday.