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#1602. originally aired Wednesday, December 22, 2004  Play It Legislative term limits were to be the great experiment - a kind of air freshener for a decaying political system. In 1992, Michigan passed the toughest term limits in the country. House members could serve only three two-year terms. Senators got two four-year terms. After that they could never be elected to either legislative body again. Term limit proponents had said they would bring fresh faces to the legislature, open up the senate and house to a new breed of leadership, and bring new energy to government. For that, they did succeed. But a new, comprehensive study of term limits by Wayne State University has found that the competition for seats is not greater than before. If anything, it is less. And instead of Jeffersonian citizen-legislators, those now running for office are actually wealthier than those elected before term limits. Longtime house and senate leaders, the hard-targets of term limits, are now gone. But the expectation that their replacements would be picked on merit has not happened. Big pots of special interest money, internal political funds and intense lobbying now pick the leaders. Proponents had also forecast that term limits would create more competition for open seats. But the Wayne State study finds that, actually, there is now less competition and today's incumbents are reelected with less challenge than those who held office before them. Today, at a greater rate than ever, lobby and special interest money pours into Lansing. Are Michigan's term limits meeting their promise as proponents claim? Or, did the 59 percent of Michigan voters who supported term limits in 1992 get a bad deal? Those interviewed for the investigative report include: Paul Hillegonds, ex-speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and current president of Detroit Renaissance; Ruth Ann Jamnick (D) District 54 Ypsilanti (term limit expired in 2004); Representative Aldo Vagnozzi (D) District 37 and oldest member of legislature; Craig Ruff of Public Sector Consultants; Chris Christoff, Detroit Free Press Columnist and capitol correspondent Representative John Schwartz; professor Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson of Wayne State and author of The Political and Institutional Effects of Term Limits, and Lou Dodak, (D), former House Speaker. Appearing on the follow-up studio panel discussion with "Michigan At Risk" program host Tim Skubick are: Patrick Anderson of the Anderson Economic Group and author of the original language for the Term Limits Initiative; Dawson Bell, Detroit Free Press Columnist and capitol correspondent, Gretchen Whitmer (D), 69th District State House Representative, and former state representative H. Lynn Jondahl. |
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