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 This November's ballot includes 1B – a question about El Paso County term limits, which could end two years of controversy over wording of previous term limit ballot measures. By about 60 percent, voters passed three ballot measures in 2010 that extended existing two-term limits totaling eight years to three-term limits totaling 12 years.
The 2010 measures were controversial because the short ballot wording did not include that the existing term limits were for two four-year terms, only that the new three-term limit would be a “modification of the current limits,” according to county clerk records. In other words, voters didn’t have the whole story.
Soon after the 2010 election, Darryl Glenn, county commissioner, proposed a special election for November 2011 for a ballot measure that stated county term limits should “be limited to serving two consecutive terms, a reduction from the current limit of three consecutive terms.”
At the time, Commissioner Amy Lathen, chairwoman of the board and District 2 representative, told the Eastern Plains Chamber group that a special election would be costly at “$300,000.”
Thus, the board decided to include the ballot measure this year, instead of holding a special election.
The measure has been combined from the 2010 series of three ballot measures into one measure that covers all county offices affected by term limits. The district attorney’s office term limits are not included because the 4th Judicial District includes Teller County, which is not revisiting the issue.
The ballot measure text: “Shall the voters of El Paso County prohibit any person elected to the offices of county clerk and recorder, county surveyor, county assessor, county treasurer, and county commissioner, in any election held after the November 6, 2012 general election, from running for and if elected serving a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms, thereby denying the citizens of El Paso County the opportunity to retain the holders of these offices for 12 years if the voters so desire, with the understanding that a vote of “yes” will reduce the existing three-term limit to two consecutive four-year terms and a vote of “no” will preserve the current voter-approved limit of three consecutive four-year terms?”
The language of this measure would, if passed, prohibit a two-term office holder from running for an additional term in a future election; however, this measure would not keep District 3 incumbent Sallie Clark or District 4 incumbent Dennis Hisey from seeking and serving third terms this election.
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Jason Gray