Term limits on tap again in Naperville

A group of Naperville residents is hoping to let voters decide whether the city should be divided into districts and/or if councilmen should be subject to term limits.

The newly formed Naperville Voter Education League is circulating petitions to get each of those topics on the ballot next year.

Bill Eagan, who ran unsuccessfully for city council last spring, is leading the group and said it is not taking positions on either of the measures.

"It's a matter of getting on the ballot and making sure we get the facts out there and let voters of Naperville decide the most important form of government," Eagan said.

In June, Councilman Jim Boyajian, acting as a private citizen, held a public meeting to let residents debate districts and term limits but said at the time it would be up to others to take action.

The league formed to do just that and began circulating petitions during the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

If it can successfully get the issues on the ballot, residents would be asked if they want a district system that would split the council into five district seats and three at-large seats plus the mayor.

In past discussions of a district system, those in favor have said districts would give residents a representative who is familiar with their issues. On the flip side, opponents have said residents would only have one person to turn to for help instead of nine.

The league's term limit referendum question would ask voters if they want to restrict elected officials to no more than two consecutive four-year terms. This provision would not stop someone from serving two terms as a councilman, then another two as mayor, followed by two more terms as a councilman.

People in favor of term limits have cited the difficulty of unseating incumbents and the risk of longtime councilmen becoming complacent in the job.

But those opposed said residents already can boot out councilmen who are not doing their jobs through the regular election cycle and that longtime councilmen have valuable institutional knowledge.

Eagan's group hopes to get the referendum questions on the Nov. 2, 2010 ballot. In order to do so, it needs to turn in petitions with the required number of signatures 78 days before that date.

For the district referendum question, the league will need to get the signatures of 10 percent of the total votes cast in the last mayoral election - 1,900 signatures, according to Eagan.

A referendum for term limits is a bigger challenge that will require signatures from 10 percent of registered voters, translating to just under 8,700 signatures, Eagan said.

The league is deciding how to go about securing the signatures and may hold petition signing parties and send volunteers door-to-door.

For more information contact Eagan at billeagan@aol.com or (847) 708-1885.