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...., l44"41111 FYI- .- ..
<br /> 6B C ` r......._. SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS SUNDAY,NOVEMBER 27, 1994
<br /> SUBURBAN EDITOR: Les Suzukamo FOR MORE NEIGHBORS NEWS:
<br /> PHONE:228-5475 NEIGHBORS See the daily Metro section and Wednesday's
<br /> .,,lEAX: 228-5500 Express section.
<br /> 7r
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<br /> ierm its.. can voe on tem• at eve t o c
<br /> :7, It's also hard to find reallygoodpeople willingto fund-raising,and both can lead to more votes.But if
<br /> In most of the smaller cities,the jobs of mayor
<br /> , - ev that Mounds View has and city council members are even less than part- sacrifice their golf games for the dubious perquisites everything's going to hell in a handbasket,incum- i
<br /> ►b achieved national fame with ofpublic office,such as the thrill of applause from bency can be a detriment — witness the national re-
<br /> ��-its new ordinance that limits time — they re spare time. p
<br /> These people,who are usually paid less than what the Rotary.Indeed,lots of elected officials impose sults of our most recent election.
<br /> rI terms of a local eighttces to a life- , - the job costs them for day care,mileage and Ro- term limits upon themselves,either because,.like Personally,I like to vote on term limits in every
<br /> tune total of years,other laids,spend a lot of time doing their work at innu- Minnesota Sen.Paul Wellstone,they believe in the election,only on a case-by-case basis.I spend a lot
<br /> suburbs may be thinking along 4 merable evening meetings and the occasional Satur- Mr.-Smith-Goes-to-Washington approach to public of time trying to figure out if someone has been ef-
<br /> similornes. dayworkshop.Theycan't go ocer shoppingoffice,or because they get to missing their tee. fective,and therefore deserves to keep a position,or
<br /> People. like Patricia naso witout getting butonholein grocery
<br /> r o times,not to mention their spouses. if that official has fallen prey to any of the perils of
<br /> .execuor Term Limits M who, .. . church without getting a little harangue with their Term limits in general are a cosmetic attempt to incumbency:laziness,corruption,a taste for free
<br /> { � Bron for e who, DEBRA tackle a big problem —public officials'that oftep chicken dinners.I also try to give the challengers a
<br /> coffee in the Friendship Hall.
<br /> .:ironically,was just re-elected DEBRA
<br /> aren't as good as they should be.But simply bringing fair shot,examining their resumes for the promise
<br /> s.to the Eagan City Council — NEIGHBORS But they aren't full-time,in-the-office-every-day in fresh blood won't automatically cause effective of intelligent leadership.
<br /> .,,.,,hope that Mounds View will COLUMNIST people,and it takes them awhile to get up to speed government,any more than havingofficial prayer in I figure it's mydutyas a citizen to research the
<br /> ,5,,lead many Minnesota cities to with the issues confronting their communities,such , school will somehow make studentmore moral.In- candidates,chooe anmonitor their actions while
<br /> TAIdopt restrictions on how long as,say,the sewer situation.Therefore,continuity is deed,without the carrot of another term,where's they're in office.In order to get them to do their
<br /> =,people can hold office. particularly important,and if many of the elected the incentive for elected officials to do a great job in jobs,I have,to do mine - in the voting booth.
<br /> l.,` officials are brand-new,they tend to act as little the current term,rather than grabbing all they can
<br /> I hope notnsides of
<br /> are limits andlarly susceptible more than a rubber stamp for the city administra- get? Debra O'Connor covers education and writes a Neighbors col-
<br /> 'Io the down sides of term could suffer .
<br /> tor. It's true that incumbents can have a strong advan- umn that runs every Sunday.She also can be reached by
<br /> Inns-term harm from this kind of Short-term think- computer at pioneerdeb @aol.com.
<br /> Ing. I get better at my job every year — don't"you? '': tage during an election — name recognition aids
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