Petition drive to stop term limits fails

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

Sheriff Jim Alderden said he might next seek employment as a county commissioner, state representative or Wal-Mart greeter following failure of an effort to exempt his position from term limits.

But he may wait to update his resume if the commissioners agree to place an issue before voters calling for increasing from two to three the maximum number of terms county elected officials can serve.

That proposal follows the failure of a petition drive seeking to lift term limits applying to the sheriff. Voters in 43 of Colorado's 64 counties have exempted the sheriff from term limits, according to Alderden, and another two have extended the limit from two to three terms.

Supporters needed to collect almost 10,000 signatures of registered voters by July 15 to place the measure on the ballot in Larimer County. Alderden said he didn't know how many signatures were collected, but it was well short of the goal. As of a month ago, he said some 2,000 signatures had been gathered with 500 to 600 petitions still circulating.

"We knew some time ago we wouldn't make it so there was no big push at the end," Alderden said.

He knew it would be difficult collecting that many signatures, Alderden said, but he was reluctant to use paid circulators soliciting signers in highly visible venues. But now, Alderden said, he realizes an aggressive effort is necessary in a petition drive of such a scale.

Now Alderden said he is examining his options when his term as sheriff ends next year. He said he's considering running for the District 1 county commissioner seat now held by Kathay Rennels, who is also being term-limited from office. Alderden said he is additionally looking at the state House District 53 seat now held by Angie Paccione, should she compete against Marilyn Musgrave to represent the Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. And if none of those pan out, Alderden joshed that he might be handing out shopping carts at Wal-Mart.

But Alderden may yet avoid getting fitted for a blue vest if another option gains support from political parties and the county commissioners. That proposal, which he describes as in the "dialog stage," would allow all elected county officials to serve up to three consecutive terms for a total of 12 years.

Colorado voters in 1994 limited all county elected officials to two consecutive terms not exceeding eight years unless specifically exempted by voters in a county. A 2001 ballot issue to exempt Larimer County officials failed by a 2-to-1 margin.

Alderden said he believes the three-term limit might prove more attractive to voters opposed to the two-term limit but reluctant to totally lift limits. "Some people had a tough time signing the petitions because they do like term limits," he said.

The concept is now being informally circulated within the county's two major political parties, Alderden said, to assess whether there is enough interest in asking the commissioners to refer the question to voters in the November election.

Commission Chairman Rennels said she would be receptive to such a request, but the commissioners would have to act quickly to refer an issue to the ballot. She said a decision would be required by mid-August to ensure there's enough time to prepare a ballot issue by the Sept. 2 submission deadline. Rennels added that the full board would not even be able to discuss it until commissioner Glenn Gibson returns from vacation in early August.

Rennels said she has never liked term limits, but she thinks 12 years is enough.

Commissioner Karen Wagner said before she'd refer any issue to voters, she'd either have to have a strong opinion about it or citizens would have to have expressed one.

Wagner said she is not aware of any great interest by citizens, and she can see both sides of the issue. "I don't see what the point is of bringing it to the voters again," Wagner said, contending they had made their preferences clear the last time the issue was before them.