Some seek delay in term vote

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By Tom Saul | Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:01 AM CDT | () comments

Some Davenport aldermen expressed interest Monday in asking a citizens group to withdraw petitions seeking a special election on four-year terms and resubmit them so the matter can be on a November ballot.

Alderman Keith Meyer, 3rd Ward, asked both Corporation Counsel Mary Thee and City Administrator Craig Malin to make the request. Both declined, stating that it would be inappropriate for them to do so. Malin said it would be more appropriate for an elected official to make that move.

“I would request that staff get us the names of those involved in Citizens for Smart Governance so we can call and ask them to withdraw the petitions and resubmit at a later date,” Alderman Ray Ambrose, 4th Ward, said. Some aldermen voiced concerns Monday about the timing and cost of holding an election this summer.

Jim Hoepner of Citizens for Smart Governance said the group submitted the petitions as soon as it got enough signatures and does not want to see the matter set aside and forgotten.

“As for the cost, we think it is an entirely appropriate one-time expenditure,” he said.

Even as some citizens told the City Council’s Committee of the Whole that four-year staggered terms for aldermen and the mayor are a bad idea, Thee said Monday that state law locks them into setting a referendum.

“The state law says the council shall set an election after receiving the petitions,” she said. “If it is not set, someone could file (a complaint), and a court could order an election. I would recommend that you put it on the ballot.”

On June 5, the citizens group submitted 1,835 petition signatures asking for a referendum.

They say the longer terms would free Davenport elected officials from the political

posturing that comes with holding races every two years, allow them to do longer-range planning and ensure that experienced aldermen are always on the council.

Now, all 10 aldermen and the mayor face election every two years. In any city election, the entire council and the mayor could be voted out of office. A referendum on four-year terms in Davenport failed in 1991.

Aldermen who voiced concerns about the cost of a special election say the price tag could be anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000. But they acknowledged that state law ties their hands, and they will be forced to call for a referendum. The Scott County Auditor’s office has said it could schedule a special election July 25, Alderman Charlie Brooke, 6th Ward, said last week.

“I would rather see it on the November ballot, and I’m concerned about the potential for low turnout, but, under the law, we really have no choice but to hold the election if that is what the petitioners want,” Alderman Bill Lynn, 5th Ward, said.

Tom Saul can be contacted at (563) 383-2453 or tsaul@qctimes.com.