Charter Changes Finally Up for a Vote

Yes, I know it has been a very long time since any of us has posted but hey, we didn't disappear!

Incredibly, the Commercial Appeal has recommended a no vote against Term Limits and Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). OK, maybe IRV isn't well known or well understood by many but clearly Term Limits is needed in this city!

You can read the recommendations yourself here with the feedback.

OK ... Here we go!

I make the following recommendations regarding the Memphis and Shelby County charter amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot:

COUNTY COMMISSION ORDINANCE NO. 364 (Thanks changememphis.net for this): This amendment would fix a glitch in the county's charter by legally establishing the elected offices of sheriff, trustee, register, county clerk, and assessor. The amendment would also take away the ability of those officers to appeal budget disputes they have with the County Commission in court.

I recommend YES. Even tho there is some language in there that shouldn't be there in the first place like in Section 8.03. C "The county charter officers shall not be subject to term limitations unless provided for in Article V herein." and some other garbage but it's really to bring us in line with a court ruling. The sky won't fall if this one doesn't pass.

COUNTY COMMISSION ORDINANCE NO. 365: This amendment would set term limits for the five officers listed above.

I recommend YES. Takes care of the stupid language is the previous ordinance ... maybe they're hoping this one fails. Some of those should probably be changed to appointed positions but until they are ... term limits baby!

CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE NO. 5232: This amendment would allow a City Council member to be recalled from office.

I recommend YES.

CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE NO. 5265: This amendment would require appointed city officials to live within the city limits, just as non-appointed employees must.

I don't really care which way you vote on this one. There should be a grandfather clause but other than that ...

CHARTER COMMISSION REFERENDUM NO. 1: With respect to all municipal elections held hereafter for the Office of Mayor, City Council and City Court Clerk, no person shall serve more than 2 consecutive terms in any given office.

I recommend YES. Term limits baby! Unfortunately it not specifically retroactive which means the clock won't start until after the next election and it apparently allows the person to run again after sitting out a term ... like Ricky Peete did when he sat in jail for a while only to be elected again after getting out.

CHARTER COMMISSION REFERENDUM NO. 2: This amendment would stagger the terms of council members, so city elections would be held every two years instead of every four years.

I recommend YES just so we can hold them accountable more often ... but the flip side is that we'll have to go thru the election process every two years!

CHARTER COMMISSION REFERENDUM NO. 3: Any proposed sale of Memphis Light Gas & Water or any of its electric, gas and/or water assets shall not be final until first approved by a majority of duly qualified voters in the City of Memphis.

I recommend YES. Duh!

CHARTER COMMISSION REFERENDUM NO. 4: Any elected or appointed official charged with official malfeasance shall be suspended with pay pending resolution of the charge.

I recommend YES.

CHARTER COMMISSION REFERENDUM NO. 5: This amendment would allow instant runoff voting, a system in which voters rank their preferences in elections rather than choosing a single candidate in each race.

I recommend YES. Unfortunately it only applies to the single district seats which may cause some confusion but it's a step forward.

CHARTER COMMISSION REFERENDUM NO. 6: This amendment would change the process for filling a vacancy in the mayor's office by allowing for special elections to be held.

I recommend YES.

WHAT'S MISSING?

There should an option for NOTA ... None Of The Above.