Salas who voted against the passage of Senate Legislative Initiative 16-11 said he is not convinced that elected officials should get an additional year contingent upon the measure’s ratification is not good governance at all.
The lawmaker said, while he agrees that having an election every year is too costly, the initiative’s condition that elected officials with a two-year term get three years and those elected for a four-year term serve five years, would not be good for the public.
“What I disagree in the initiative is the extension of an additional one year to elected officials. I would rather see that it be reduced one year,” he said in a statement.
“There is an argument that an elected governor cannot accomplish or implement his /her programs in three years as it is too short of a term. While that may be true, I don’t buy that argument because I strongly believe that a governor, mayor or senator doing an outstanding job in the three years they served would get reelected another term to accomplish or implement his/her programs. And when they get reelected, they would have served seven years,” he added.
S.L.I. 16-11 will be placed on the Nov. 7 ballot.
If this initiative is ratified, all elected members of the House of Representatives and other public offices whose term of office is two years will serve three years.
The elected governor, lt. governor and senators, will serve a term of five years instead of four.
The midterm elections will be held in 2012 and the next regular general elections will be held in 2014 and every four years thereafter.
Salas said adding a year to elected officials’ term of office would compromise public service.
“The problem with extending the term of a governor, mayor or senator is when he/she is doing a poor job. What then? We’d be stuck with that elected official for another year and is that what we want?” he said.
“I don’t think our people would want that, and I definitely do not want that to happen. Again, if the term is shortened, they can run for reelection and I’m sure they will get reelected,” he added.
