3-consecutive term limits on DAs, sheriffs and judges?

Louisiana State Rep. Rickey Hardy is proposing a constitutional amendment in the state Legislature that would limit elected sheriffs, district attorneys and judges to three consecutive terms.

If approved, House Bill 101 would take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2011. Terms beginning before that date would not be subject to the term limit.

“The intent of this legislation is to make our judicial system stronger, more effective and more representative of the population it serves,” said the Democrat representing Lafayette. “I see House Bill 101 as a way of bringing in fresh faces. We must remember that elected public service is a privilege, not an entitlement.”

Hardy said all elected officials should have the same term limits.

“Equal means the same for everybody, and separate can never be equal,” he explained. “The president has term limits, the governor has term limits, I have term limits, state senators have term limits, so why not judges, district attorneys and sheriffs? If it’s good enough for me and the governor, it’s good enough for them.”

Opposition to Hardy’s bill feel forcing elected officials out of office would create a lack of experience in important positions.

“My argument to that is that when a fireman goes out to fight his first fire, that’s his first touch with real experience,” said Hardy. “When a surgeon performs his first operation, it’s his first experience. It has to start somewhere, so that experience argument doesn’t fly.”

Hardy added experienced elected officials should have an easy time finding employment after they reach their term limit, because by being elected, that means they were the best in their field.

But elected officials who would be subject to these term limits in the Tri-parish area disagree with Hardy’s bill.

St. Mary Parish District Attorney Phil Haney said he believes in the wisdom of the people, and they should have the option to keep a public servant in office as long as they would like.

“I’ve always been a believer that the people of the district should be the ones to decide when term limits are up,” he said. “When the term ends, that should be done by voting for that person or not voting for that person in an election process.”

In fact, Haney said he invited Hardy to speak with the Louisiana District Attorney’s Association before pre-filing the bill.

“[District attorneys] would be able to answer any questions he had, and explain to him why they may be opposed to that concept,” said Haney. “I think until you get information from both sides of an issue, it’s kind of hard to make a decision. He’s already concluded something without knowing whether or not there’s some reason why there shouldn’t be term limits of elected officials.”

Haney added that he wishes Hardy would do the same for sheriffs and judges.

However, Hardy said he would not do so for any of these entities.

“Discussions about term limits are always good things to have,” he said. “I don’t begrudge him from having that thought process. I just want him to make sure he has all the information from everybody before he presents that bill to the Legislature.”

Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois Jr. is two years into his first term, and he is also not in favor of term limits.

“These days, if you’re not doing your job – because of Internet, the media and things like that, you’ll know if somebody is not doing their job – it’s up to the people to elect somebody else,” said Bourgeois. “I’ve seen too many times when an elected official is doing a great job, gets term limited out and you don’t know who he’s going to get replaced with.”

Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is currently in his fifth consecutive term and has held his position since 1992, and he disagrees with Hardy’s bill as well.

“[Terms] can be as short as one term or shorter in the event of a recall or as long as a competent dedicated public servant serves the constituency well,” said Webre. “To me, the whole notion of wide spread term limits is one where it undermines the basic principles of a democracy.”

Webre said term limits would create “professional politicians” who would look to create a career by jumping from office to office to office.

“You create a situation where most of your office holders lack experience, institutional knowledge and commitment,” the sheriff added. “In turn, you create a situation where people simply look for what’s the next opening that I can run for because I’m going to be losing my job because the term is limited.”

As a former president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, Webre said he sees no need for term limits. “I keep up with current events, and I’m very involved in the sheriff’s association on a state and national level, and I don’t see a movement or a cry for term limits,” he said. “I don’t see a concerted effort by any constituency or special interest suggesting there’s a current need or benefit to having term limits, and for that reason I think it will not be a bill that will be successful in the legislative process.”

Proposed House Bill 101 would need a two-thirds vote in both chambers of legislature and then be approved by voters in a statewide election.