While Chris Palermo may not believe in term limits, he wouldn't have done what his fellow legislator did over the weekend.
Steve Netti resigned Friday afternoon and was reappointed to his District 15 seat Sunday in order to skirt a local law which prevents legislators from holding office for more than 12 consecutive years. That law would have forced Netti out of the Legislature midway through his newest four-year term.
“My district would have been shortchanged because we would always be off (cycle),” Netti said Sunday. “I had to take the hit for it.”
Legislator Palermo doesn't agree with Netti's decision.
“It's just not right,” Palermo said. “I wouldn't have done it.”
Legislator Michele Sedor, a Democrat, wondered whether there would have been more uproar had someone in her party decided to circumvent the law.
On the county Legislature, the Republicans outnumber Democrats 12-3.
“I have to believe that if the Democrats were the ones involved in this, there certainly would have been more attention paid to this,” Sedor said. “I have to wonder if he would have been able to have gone through this process.”
While they may not agree on Netti's decision, Sedor and other legislators do agree that the 1995 referendum that established term limits, or as some view it, year limits, should be reviewed.
“There is something that needs to be adjusted with this,” said Sedor, D-Sennett. “I do hope to see this addressed and given a lot of attention soon.”
New legislator Linda Murphy, R-Auburn, understands Netti's decision if he's doing it for the right reasons.
“If Steve uses it just to finish out his four-year term just so someone else doesn't fall into the same scenario, I think that's fine,” Murphy said.
But Netti should not run again after that, she said, as the voters likely believed they had voted for term limits and by that time, Netti will have served more than three full terms.
On Sunday, Netti did not rule out serving for more than 14 years, which is what he will have reached by the 2009 election season. The Auburn Republican only said that he was percent” sure he wasn't going to serve an additional 12 years. He could not be reached for comment Monday.
Legislator Ray Lockwood, R-Aurelius, was in a situation similar to Netti's, but Lockwood opted not to resign at the end of the year.
If he decides to now, the Legislature will have to reappoint him; if not, he will be forced to leave his seat in 2008.
Several legislators noted that they knew nothing of Netti's resignation until Saturday or Sunday, including Legislature Chairman George Fearon, R-Springport. Fearon said that he isn't sure if Netti's intentions are simply to complete this four-year term or to seek additional terms.
He believes that the term-limit referendum needs to be looked at and that the original intent of the law, which Fearon sees as a limit of three full terms, not including appointments or elections to unexpired terms, should be clarified.
But whether Netti is re-elected and whether a referendum is amended is not up to the Legislature, Fearon said.
“Let his constituents be the judge, and let the people of this county decide whether or not this thing needs to be fixed,” he said.
Both Palermo, R-Sterling, and Ann Petrus, R-Brutus, don't believe in term limits. Both maintain that the voters are the term limits; if a legislator isn't doing a good job, he'll learn soon enough.
It was Petrus' actions that inadvertently revealed the referendum's loophole in the first place. In October, she resigned from the Legislature for four days so that she could receive retirement benefits from her other position as executive director of the Water and Sewer Authority.
Her “legislative clock” was subsequently restarted when she was reappointed, and she can continue to serve as legislator for 12 more years if she chooses to run.
Petrus said that the term-limit referendum needs to be looked at and that though she has never spoken with Netti about it, she believes she understands why he did what he did.
“I think he felt that it was unfair ... to not be able to complete a full term,” she said.
Petrus said that like it or not, Netti has the legal right to run again. The public will decide what happens after that, she added.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
“My district would have been shortchanged because we would always be off (cycle),” Netti said Sunday. “I had to take the hit for it.”
Legislator Palermo doesn't agree with Netti's decision.
“It's just not right,” Palermo said. “I wouldn't have done it.”
Legislator Michele Sedor, a Democrat, wondered whether there would have been more uproar had someone in her party decided to circumvent the law.
On the county Legislature, the Republicans outnumber Democrats 12-3.
“I have to believe that if the Democrats were the ones involved in this, there certainly would have been more attention paid to this,” Sedor said. “I have to wonder if he would have been able to have gone through this process.”
While they may not agree on Netti's decision, Sedor and other legislators do agree that the 1995 referendum that established term limits, or as some view it, year limits, should be reviewed.
“There is something that needs to be adjusted with this,” said Sedor, D-Sennett. “I do hope to see this addressed and given a lot of attention soon.”
New legislator Linda Murphy, R-Auburn, understands Netti's decision if he's doing it for the right reasons.
“If Steve uses it just to finish out his four-year term just so someone else doesn't fall into the same scenario, I think that's fine,” Murphy said.
But Netti should not run again after that, she said, as the voters likely believed they had voted for term limits and by that time, Netti will have served more than three full terms.
On Sunday, Netti did not rule out serving for more than 14 years, which is what he will have reached by the 2009 election season. The Auburn Republican only said that he was percent” sure he wasn't going to serve an additional 12 years. He could not be reached for comment Monday.
Legislator Ray Lockwood, R-Aurelius, was in a situation similar to Netti's, but Lockwood opted not to resign at the end of the year.
If he decides to now, the Legislature will have to reappoint him; if not, he will be forced to leave his seat in 2008.
Several legislators noted that they knew nothing of Netti's resignation until Saturday or Sunday, including Legislature Chairman George Fearon, R-Springport. Fearon said that he isn't sure if Netti's intentions are simply to complete this four-year term or to seek additional terms.
He believes that the term-limit referendum needs to be looked at and that the original intent of the law, which Fearon sees as a limit of three full terms, not including appointments or elections to unexpired terms, should be clarified.
But whether Netti is re-elected and whether a referendum is amended is not up to the Legislature, Fearon said.
“Let his constituents be the judge, and let the people of this county decide whether or not this thing needs to be fixed,” he said.
Both Palermo, R-Sterling, and Ann Petrus, R-Brutus, don't believe in term limits. Both maintain that the voters are the term limits; if a legislator isn't doing a good job, he'll learn soon enough.
It was Petrus' actions that inadvertently revealed the referendum's loophole in the first place. In October, she resigned from the Legislature for four days so that she could receive retirement benefits from her other position as executive director of the Water and Sewer Authority.
Her “legislative clock” was subsequently restarted when she was reappointed, and she can continue to serve as legislator for 12 more years if she chooses to run.
Petrus said that the term-limit referendum needs to be looked at and that though she has never spoken with Netti about it, she believes she understands why he did what he did.
“I think he felt that it was unfair ... to not be able to complete a full term,” she said.
Petrus said that like it or not, Netti has the legal right to run again. The public will decide what happens after that, she added.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
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