The Good and The Bad of Term Limits

Abstract

THE CALIFORNIA Journal of Politics & Policy Commentary The Good and the Bad of Term Limits www.bepress.com/cjpp Volume 2, Issue 1, 2010 There are some sad cases of career politicians—es- pecially when they cling to office too long, like Senator Robert Byrd, or the California equivalent, the late Senator Ralph Dills, who was first elected in 1939 and served con- tinuously (except for a few years on the bench) into the ’90s, when he was termed out of office. His last campaign slogan was: “Too old to quit.” But for everyone who “has been” forced out by term limits, there are at least as many people who are superbly competent, bright, and balanced with profound institu- tional and policy knowledge. Examples include the late Senator Ken Maddy, mode- rate Democratic Senator Bob Presley, Senator Jim Brulte, and I would argue, Speaker Willie Brown, at whom the term limits initiative was aimed. (Brown was at his best getting difficult budgets through for Republican gover- nors—we could use him back!) Robert W. Naylor served in the California Legislature as a mem- ber of the Assembly for eight years, as Assembly Minority Leader for three years, and as chairman of the California Republican Party.