Eleven new City Council members took office July 1, starting a four-year term that for some could end up as eight years.
Matt Schellenberg wasn’t one of them. Instead, he started his second term.
If a bill he’s pitching is approved by council and voters, he and seven others could be in line for a third term.
Schellenberg wants council members to be able to serve three consecutive four-year terms, up from the two terms that voters approved in 1991. Voters haven’t revisited the issue since.
A bill introduced today would put the idea back in front of voters next year if council approves.
“I always believed two terms and out was unreasonable,” he said. “ … You lose a certain amount of institutional knowledge.”
The change would apply only to council, not the mayor and constitutional officers.
The change would be voted on during the March 15 presidential primary.
It’s a concept that’s been oft-discussed in the past decade with various groups. The most recent came with the Task Force on Consolidation that wrapped up its work last year with the “Blueprint for Improvement II.”
Within that, the 30-member group recommended the increase from two to three consecutive terms.
“Staggered Council terms were rejected, but the possibility of a third term was considered one positive step for retention of institutional knowledge among those elected and over whom voters have influence,” the group recommended.
As a second-term member, some might think Schellenberg is doing this to stay in office. But, he said he believes “anybody can be beat.”
“Run against me,” he said. “If I am doing a poor job, the people of Mandarin … have no qualms with voting someone out.”
Until his re-election in March, Mandarin voters have left the past few council representatives of the district one-and-done.
Schellenberg points to the recent swap of Kimberly Daniels for Anna Lopez Brosche as an example of voters having their say.
That type of turnover is healthy, he said, but having a majority trying to learn a tough job at the same time isn’t helpful to the city.
“It takes time,” he said. “When you have that type of turnover … it’s not a good place to be. On the inside, I see the damage two terms and out is doing. ”
Council member Bill Gulliford, who commissioned the consolidation task force, also is in favor of the additional terms. Now in his second term, Gulliford said the idea of term limits is more “sound good, feel good” than healthy for the city.
John Winkler, president of Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County, doesn’t agree. He’s opposed to the extension and said there’s an inherent conflict of interest for current council members who even suggest the idea.
For those council members who feel it’s tough to learn and make an impact in eight years, Winkler suggests coming back later.
“If that’s the case,” he said, “they’re always welcome to run again.”
Winkler said the watchdog group likely would take up the issue and he’s confident its members won’t be in favor of the extension.
Selling the merits of it to voters likely will be the toughest challenge, Schellenberg said. Between now and then, he said, will require rebuilding trust with constituents — especially on transparency.
Several mostly new members have been hit with a lawsuit from Concerned Taxpayers of Duval County alleging Sunshine Law violations when it came to a vote during budget deliberations.
Schellenberg said he’d be open to discussing the idea of extending or altering terms of the mayor and other independent boards, too. But for now, his concern is council.
Schellenberg also is introducing other bills related to council. In separate measures, he’d push for council members and their executive assistants to have 2 percent pay cuts restored.
Many city employees who took the same cut have money set aside in the budget for collective bargaining and restorations.
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