After spirited debate and dozens of messages and public comments, the Morgan Hill City Council took the first tentative steps towards letting voters decide on term limits this week, with the majority agreeing that the council would craft a policy to place on the ballot this November.
Currently, the city is one of only two in Santa Clara County without term limits, according to a report by Morgan Hill city staff, with Gilroy being the other. Morgan Hill is also one of a handful of cities in the county with a directly elected mayor. City council members serve four-year terms and the mayor serves two-year terms.
The discussion and public comment on the term limits issue Wednesday night showed clear differences of opinion within the public and the city council, as they addressed the identity of the city.
“I am opposed,” said council member Gino Borgioli at the meeting. “We’re not like Milpitas and Saratoga. We’re very unique down here. We’re a very small community, we’re a very tight-knit community, If you want to vote somebody out, just vote somebody out.”
“I think there’s a huge benefit when you have a smaller community where the council and the mayor have actual direct access with the constituency,” said Morgan Hill resident Scott Stotler. “If we have somebody who is a dedicated servant, I think it’s good to be able to keep them and have the option of them being voted out or voted in.”
However, Council member Yvonne Martinez-Beltran, who spoke in support of term limits, emphasized that the motion was to place the question on the ballot rather than to decide term limits.
Some citizens spoke in fervent support of the measure. “Fresh blood needs to be injected into the city of Morgan Hill,” said resident Brian Espirtu at the meeting. “If you don’t want to (make the ballot measure), all of you will have egg on your face when we put it on the ballot and do it for you.”
At the end of the meeting, a majority of the council agreed that they would move forward on ironing out the details of the ballot initiative by early March, and in the meantime reach out to more citizens to gain a deeper understanding of public opinion.
Councilmember Marilyn Librers expressed reluctance in her support for the idea. “I will vote for term limits, but I feel it’s under duress with the threat that the citizens will come back with something that we don’t feel is appropriate,” she said. “I want to make sure that we have the experience to make that decision. I don’t want to turn that over to the public.”
Despite the lack of a formal resolution, Councilmember Rene Spring, who first proposed the discussion to city council, seemed pleased with the direction of the discussion. “I think we got a step forward tonight. I did not think we would and I’m pleasantly surprised that we did,” he said.