Chemung County Issue -- Term Limits

 I used to be against term limits because I didn't see the point. "We already have term limits," I used to say as a young man. "It's called voting."

But my opinion on this has turned around. 

The system we have tends to favor incumbents, and sure, I can see the advantage to keeping someone in office if they are doing a good job. Just let them keep doing the job. But there is a cost for political entrenchment.

If the same person holds the same elected office for years, it means no one else is going to think running for office is possible. Why bother if X candidate always runs and always wins? 

That creates a disconnect. The average resident doesn't think about engaging with how the government works because someone else is always handling it. 

But term limits mean that eventually any resident could think to themselves, "Oh that seat is going to open next year. Who could step up? How about ... me?"

It means that more people could give serious though about whether they could do the job. They would find out more about how the government works and what is and is not possible. 

And that means that government is no longer some distant, mysterious thing, but something more accessible and understandable. 

Term limits also create a diversity of ideas on the legislature. We could be represented by a fluctuating group of people from all walks of life, any professional background or any kind of business. As that mix of representation changes over the years, it brings new ideas and perspectives to the job at hand. 

And that would be a healthy thing for democracy.