Committee sends proposal on four-year terms for mayor, at-large seats to full board without recommendation

The Committee on Administration voted to send a proposal to consider four‑year terms for municipal offices to the full board without the committee offering a recommendation.

The discussion began when a request from "Mr. Blaise" to consider four‑year terms was presented to the committee. Committee members debated whether the change should apply to the entire Board or only to the mayor and at‑large aldermen. Several aldermen said two‑year terms preserve voter accountability and opposed extending terms to four years.

"Whether you're an at large alderman or a regular alderman, your constituents ought to have a chance to replace you," Alderman Sabianza said during the discussion. Sabianza and other members argued that two‑year terms keep elected officials accountable and said four‑year terms risk complacency or more special elections if officeholders leave midterm.

Other members noted examples of municipalities with four‑year terms for some offices; committee members also discussed the administrative timeline for amending the city charter. City staff (Matt) told the committee that a charter amendment would require a formal process that includes review by state agencies and that the committee must decide by June 3 if it wants to place a question on the ballot for voters. Staff also noted that two state bills that had passed both legislative bodies would move the primary date to June, which could affect municipal scheduling.

Committee members discussed the city charter's decennial requirement to ask voters whether to convene a charter commission and said voters rejected a similar measure in 2020. A committee motion to "receive and file" the request failed during the meeting; the committee later approved a motion to send the proposal to the full board for the next meeting "without recommendation." The clerk recorded the action as advancing the proposal to the full board; the committee vote to send the item carried by voice vote, and the chair announced, "The ayes have it."

The record shows committee members raising concerns about accountability, the cost and frequency of citywide campaigns, and the possibility that election timing changes could alter voting behavior. The committee did not adopt any charter language; it chose to forward the request so the full board can decide whether to place a charter amendment before voters.