Wauconda mayoral candidates disagree on term limits
One of the candidates running for mayor in Wauconda supports term limits for local elected officials, but the other doesn't.
The race pits veteran Trustee Lincoln Knight against political newcomer Bryan Anderson, a member of the village's police commission. Mayor Frank Bart isn't seeking re-election.
Anderson is a fan of limiting how long politicians can serve. Knight called term limits "an interesting idea" but doesn't support them at the local level.
Anderson and Knight are running for a 4-year term in the April 4 election. They spoke about term limits and other issues in a joint interview with the Daily Herald.
Anderson was among those who wanted to put a plan on the April ballot that, if approved, would have limited the mayor and trustees to two terms starting this year.
The proposal was disqualified by an electoral board last month because petition pages were numbered improperly.
Anderson, who leads the One Wauconda slate, believes term limits encourage more people to run for elected office.
"You're not going to be locked (out) by incumbency," Anderson said.
The resulting mandatory turnover on a village board or in the mayor's office would ensure "fresh, new ideas," he said.
Anderson doesn't mind that term limits won't allow people to gain experience in a political post.
"For all of us, we didn't have the experience at doing something, and we got pretty good at doing it," he said.
Knight, who leads the Wauconda Forward slate of candidates, said he supports term limits for politicians serving at the national, state and county levels - but not for those in local government.
"When you get down to the local level, term limits are done by voters at the polls," said Knight, a trustee since 2005 who previously served on the Wauconda Park District board.
Knight noted that it's not easy to get people to run for office. A look at the races on the April 4 ballot will reveal plenty of unchallenged candidates, he said.