A preliminary analysis indicates former Gov. Pat Quinn and other supporters of a binding referendum to set term limits on Chicago mayors gathered more than enough valid signatures to place the question on the November ballot. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners reported Thursday that its line-by-line examination of petitions circulated by Quinn’s Take Charge Chicago group counted at least 54,995 valid signatures — exceeding the 52,533 minimum required by law. Quinn’s group submitted a total of 87,355 signatures, but nearly 42,000 of the signatures were challenged on various grounds by objectors aligned with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. A review by election board personnel restored 9,624 of the challenged signatures, putting the Quinn group over the top. Both sides could continue to dispute the signatures, but the advantage — on that question at least — is now squarely on Quinn’s side. ANALYSIS “It’s very good news for us,” … [Read more...] about Quinn gets ‘very good news’ in mayoral term limits fight, but bout far from over
Mayor term limit
Lincoln mayoral term limits may be headed to ballot
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Backers say they have enough petition signatures to place on the November ballot an initiative that would bar Lincoln mayors from serving more than three terms. Political Renewal Association spokesman Matt Innis said more than 5,500 Lincoln voters have signed the petition. Organizers need fewer than 3,800 verified voters to sign the petition before submitting signatures to the city clerk. That's expected to happen Wednesday. Petition organizer J.L. Spray says term limits would be a check on what he called the "autocratic mayoral system" created under Lincoln's city charter that gives Mayor Chris Beutler "unlimited authority." Beutler is in his third term. The mayor's position is officially nonpartisan. … [Read more...] about Lincoln mayoral term limits may be headed to ballot
Quinn to file more than 85,000 signatures backing mayoral term limits referendum
Former Illinois governor Pat Quinn said Monday he’ll file more than 85,000 signatures — 32,481 above the legal requirement — to get a binding referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot that could force Mayor Rahm Emanuel into retirement by limiting Chicago mayors to two terms. Quinn urged Emanuel and his “henchmen” to resist the temptation — either to pore over the signatures in an attempt to find enough bad ones to force him under the 52,519-signature requirement or to challenge the term-limit referendum in court on grounds the ballot is already filled with three advisory questions. “We’re way above the signature requirement despite their efforts with the three advisory questions to discourage petition passers and signers and undermine the process. It didn’t work,” Quinn said Monday, the deadline for filing the petition. “If the mayor doesn’t agree with our proposal, he should go out and tell people why instead of trying … [Read more...] about Quinn to file more than 85,000 signatures backing mayoral term limits referendum
Pat Quinn touts poll showing 59 percent support for mayoral term limits
With 70,000 signatures already and 13 days to gather more, former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday brandished a new poll to bolster his case for a binding referendum that would force Mayor Rahm Emanuel into retirement by limiting Chicago mayors to eight years. The survey of 600 likely Chicago voters was conducted July 7-9 by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C. and paid for by Quinn’s non-profit corporation, Take Charge Chicago. According to Quinn, it showed that 59 percent of voters surveyed favored a two-term limit for Chicago’s mayor and would vote to impose that limit if the binding referendum appears on the Nov. 6 ballot. Last month the City Council ignored a personal plea and political warning from Quinn and placed three non-binding questions on the Nov. 6 ballot to crowd out Quinn’s binding term limits question. Told that Emanuel favors three advisory questions asking, among other things, whether plastic straws should be abolished in Chicago, 75 percent … [Read more...] about Pat Quinn touts poll showing 59 percent support for mayoral term limits
New group seeks mayoral term limits change in Warren
After one short-lived, unsuccessful effort last year to reduce the number of years that a Warren mayor can stay in office, a new group wants to put a similar term-limit question to city voters. The Committee to Restore Accountability in Warren recently launched a petition drive hoping to get a ballot proposal in the November election. Specifically, it would ask voters whether the maximum number of 4-year mayoral terms that one individual can serve be reduced from five terms to three. If approved, the measure would undo the term-limit extension passed by voters in August 2016. It also would impact the political future of Mayor James Fouts. Fouts, elected in 2007 to his first term as the top elected official in Michigan’s third-largest city, has 16 months left in his third term. He repeatedly has indicated he intends to seek re-election in 2019. “Is the Office of Mayor – whether it’s Fouts or not – deserving of special treatment?” said Mark Liss, … [Read more...] about New group seeks mayoral term limits change in Warren