Board to tackle controversial term limits issue

A referendum proposal to bring back term limits for Village of Grafton elected officials that divided the Village Board in September is slated to come back for action this month.

Village President Dan Delorit said the details of the referendum that would be on April’s ballot will be worked out at the Monday, Jan. 20, board meeting, including the number of allowed consecutive terms and if current board members would be grandfathered in.

“Because it’s such a polarizing issue we want the whole Village Board to discuss it,” he said. “It’s really up to the Village Board to decide on it and the verbiage.”

At a September meeting, trustees Jim Miller and Andrew Schwartz opposed the referendum question, along with Trustee Lisa Uribe Harbeck, who would likely be the only trustee removed from the board if the term limit statute doesn’t include a grandfather provision.

Uribe Harbeck said this week that the proposal is blatantly targeting her.

“It is so odd and so personal,” she said. “How can I not take this personally as I am the only one it affects?

“I think it is directed at me because I continue to ask questions. People in the administration don’t want to answer my questions.

“And, I continue to be reelected. People know my name and what I’ve done.”

She said the referendum may get approved without voters realizing what it means.

“The question won’t say, ‘This is getting rid of Lisa Uribe Harbeck,’” she said.

Delorit denied that the purpose is to oust her.

“This is going to affect me too. If it is four or five terms, then I will term out soon,” he said.

Uribe Harbeck, Miller and Schwartz argued term limits are unnecessary and could cost the village its most experienced trustees.

They said the village can barely muster enough candidates to fill three seats each election — last year’s race that had six candidates running for three seats is an exception — which means inexperienced or otherwise uninterested citizens may feel compelled to run for offices if vacancies are created by term limits.

Delorit said he thinks Grafton has grown and community involvement along with it, so concerns about a shortage of applicants for the board are unrealistic.

He said bringing the questions to voters corrects a 2008 decision by the board to repeal term limits without putting it on a ballot.

“They were removed without public discussion,” he said. “My belief is that it’s important to the board so it’s important that the community decides on it.”

In 2008, the Village Board unanimously rescinded term limits, making the vote a super majority and therefore not requiring a referendum.

The change could have been challenged by residents and forced to come to a referendum if a petition with 365 signatures was filed, but none was.

The village president at the time, Jim Brunnquell, said that repealing the village’s eight-year, or four-term, limit would help retain experienced board members and shore up a drought of candidates for the board.

None of the village’s board members were up against the term limit then. The election that year was entirely unopposed.

“Having experienced members on the board is an asset to the residents of Grafton,” Brunnquell said at the time, adding that it should be up to residents to choose at election time who they think is most qualified regardless of years on the board.

Term limits were originally introduced in 1995 after an organization filed a petition for their imposition. An advisory referendum the year before was supported by 70% of residents.

Term limits are uncommon in Wisconsin municipalities. Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said he surveyed administrators through the Wisconsin City Managers Association and found only four municipalities that have limits.