Nearly 13 months after term limits for members of various city commissions, boards and committees were eliminated, the Glendora City Council will discuss their possible reinstatement.
The idea will be discussed after Council member Judy Nelson, with a second from Council member Mendel Thompson, requested that an item be placed on the agenda to bring back term limits July 28.
Nelson said that after term limits were done away with, she noticed a decrease in applicants for the various committees, boards and commissions.
Former Council member Doug Tessitor initiated the discussion of doing away with term limits in March of 2014 after Water Commission member John Weidmann wrote to Tessitor expressing his desire to remain on the Commission.
The idea then grew from discussing Wiedmann’s term limits to addressing term limits for all commissions, boards and committees.
On July 22, 2014, the City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 1988, amending the Glendora Municipal Code to remove term limits for the city’s six commissions, boards and committees, according to City Staff.
Such term limits previously kept each commission, board and committee member’s tenure on their respective organization to two years. Any member who desired to continue serving was also required to take a one-year leave of absence before returning, according to City Staff.
At a May 27, 2014 Council meeting, Glendora Mayor Karen Davis expressed concern over the elimination of term limits, stating “by having the term limits, we have the opportunity to get input from a lot of different citizens … to give us new and different ideas,” a stance she reiterated at the July 28 meeting.
Term limits were established in 2001 to allow residents to actively participate in local government through the creation of mandatory openings on commissions, boards and committees.
The City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 116 E. Foothill Blvd.
