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The Indiana House on Tuesday passed a bill that would overturn the term-limits ordinance that the Westfield City Council approved in late 2022 for its elected officials.
Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, who represents Westfield, authored Senate Bill 206, which would prohibit local communities from adopting laws on elections and would void any that were approved before 2023.
House members passed the bill 92-0, sending it to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk. The legislation will become law unless Holcomb vetoes it.
The Senate previously advanced the bill 47-0.
On Nov. 28, the Westfield City Council voted 5-2 to impose term limits on elected city officials despite concerns from some councilors that the decision could result in lawsuits being filed against the city.
The ordinance limits the mayor and city council members to two consecutive four-year terms and the clerk-treasurer to three consecutive four-year terms.
The requirements are scheduled to take effect with elected terms beginning in January 2024, according to the ordinance. Time in office before 2024 would not count toward the term limits.
Cook vetoed the ordinance on Dec. 6. It was the first veto he issued since he became mayor in 2008.
The city council voted to override Cook’s veto on Dec. 12 by a 5-2 vote.
A spokesperson for Cook said Thursday that if the mayor chooses to address the bill’s passage, he will do so after Holcomb signs it.
Cook previously said he thinks term limits are “worth much thought, not at a city council’s whim” and that elections are de facto term limits. He will not seek reelection this year.
Before Westfield, Evansville was the most recent Indiana city or town to consider term limits for some of its elected officials. However, the Evansville City Council in 2018 voted 5-4 against an ordinance that would have limited the city’s mayor, council and clerk to three terms.
The mayor of Indianapolis was limited to two terms until legislation in 1982 ended term limits for the position. The new rule allowed former Mayor William Hudnut to run for a third term in 1983. Hudnut, the city’s longest-serving mayor, eventually served four terms in office.
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Because, once again, Republican state legislators need to prove they know better than local leaders what is best for every community in the state. The governor should veto it and make a strong statement that (what used to be a standard Republican core belief) “the government that is closest to the people is the government that is most responsive to the people.”
If voters want to impose term limits through a referendum, OK.
But a legislative body just doing it on their own? Lands wrong to me.
Yes Brent, lack of term limits is because of the evil republicans LOL. Now do the Indy CC voting themselves massive raises.
Brent B, I’m pretty sure that when the votes were 47-0 and 92-0 there were more than just republicans involved
Ah so it’s ok that the house and senate make rules for the state, sometimes against Federal laws, but wait a local municipality tries to ensure we have fresh thinking and the house and senate over turn? Where is the logic? Term limits for everyone!
This makes no sense to me. Every single state legislator in Indiana thinks local municipalities should not be able to make rules about term limits? There must be some context missing here.
They think they alone should set election laws in the state.
The reality is, most people hate all incumbent legislators except their own.
Mike C. Exactly. A big piece of the story appears to be missing.
Even deeper evidence that NONE of these people do not care about quality governance. They care about lining their own pockets.
Only way to impose term limits is vote them out. Government at ALL levels and both parties in this country suck.