16th District candidates spar over term limits

If George Gaulrapp is elected to represent the 16th Congressional District at the Nov. 2 election, the longest the Freeport Democrat says he will stay in office is six terms or 12 years.

The now mayor of Freeport said he would support term limits and pointed to his opponent, incumbent Republican Don Manzullo of Egan, as the perfect example of how job effectiveness diminishes the longer an elected official sticks around.

“Once you are in office, you establish a political stronghold and people start to take advantage of resources,” Gaulrapp said. “Look at Don Manzullo. Everywhere you go he has his people taking notes, filming and recording. How effective can you be long term doing this job? The most I would go is 12 years.”

That's the same amount of time Manzullo said he would spend when he was first elected to the position in 1992. But circumstances Manzullo did not consider when he self-imposed the limit thwarted his personal pledge, said Rich Carter, a spokesman for Manzullo.

“He thought he could get everything done in six terms and return to the private sector,” Carter said. “But what he didn't realize was that when you self-impose term limits, you shortchange the constituents. When his six terms were up, he was still in the middle of his chairmanship of the House Manufacturing Caucus and was meeting with (then Speaker of the House) Denny Hastert once a week to set the national agenda.”

Early in his tenure, Manzullo did support term limits for all members of Congress. But the vote was defeated.

But Gaulrapp, who is in his second term as mayor, said politicians need to understand that they are elected, not hired.

“If you are so exceptional at your job, when you have served your three terms people can write your name in,” Gaulrapp said. “That way people are electing you to serve again.”

Manzullo, though, is seeking his 10th term in Tuesday's election.

“He feels like he is in his prime,” Carter said.

Green Party candidate Terry Campbell is also running but has not participated in a Daily Herald questionnaire, editorial board interview or phone interviews.