The resolution to increase term limits should not be voted on by the people who stand to take advantage of the provision [“Southampton Town Council Considering Term Limit Tweak,” 27east.com, November 15]. The decision to increase term limits belongs to the voters, notwithstanding the legal right of the Town Board to make the change.
At best, the Town Board, in passing the resolution, should have exempted all the sitting board members from its provisions.
It is unseemly for incumbents to take political actions that serve to benefit themselves, particularly when two of the members of the board have been “termed out.”
You may argue that increased term limits result in more experienced and competent government officials. It may also be argued that entrenched officers accrue too much power, become arbitrary, and continue an “old boy” network of privileged insiders.
Let the voters decide what they want in a referendum that is preceded by spirited debates concerning the pros and cons.
Philip Metzger
Hampton Bays
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