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Sammarone suggests 2-year terms, no limits
YOUNGSTOWN
Mayor Charles Sammarone is suggesting sweeping changes to the city’s charter.
At Monday’s meeting of the charter review committee, Sammarone proposed the elimination of term limits for elected officeholders and having them run every two years instead of the current four years.
“When we had two-year terms, people tended to do a better job than when there are four-year terms,” Sammarone said. “I notice people float for three years and work hard during the fourth year to get re-elected.”
He opposes term limits, saying, “If you have a good council member or mayor, why would you push them out? It should be up to the voters to decide and keep elected officeholders accountable.”
Currently, council members and the mayor can be elected to no more than two consecutive four-year terms. A term-limit charter amendment was approved in 2003 by city voters.
The mayor also suggests the charter call for the creation of a demolition and code enforcement department rather than its current setup under the control of at least five different departments.
Sammarone told the committee members what he told The Vindicator last month — he wants charter amendments for a more-developed ethics policy for city officials and employees, and a requirement that city council approve all nonemergency contracts of at least $10,000 instead of the current $25,000 minimum amount.
Except for the council contract issue, none of the charter review committee said anything about the mayor’s suggestions.
The 11-member committee has met weekly since Jan. 18. Its Monday meeting with the mayor is the first of three with city officials.
The committee will meet Feb. 23 with department heads and Feb. 27 with city council members.
The committee also will have meetings on each of the city’s four sides between Feb. 28 and March 3 to get public input on changing the charter.
“We’re seeking information from citizens,” said Jerome Williams, the committee’s chairman. “We are collecting information and taking notes. Our goal is not to rewrite the charter but to address the needs and concerns of the community.”
“We want to be sure everyone is being properly served by the charter,” added William Carter, a committee member who served on the previous charter committee in 2004.
The committee is on a tight schedule with plans to have proposed charter changes to city council by June 1.
It is up to city council to accept or reject the commission’s recommendations. Those supported by council go on the November general election ballot for voters to consider.
The seven city council ward members and the council president each selected one member to the committee with Sammarone appointing three.