From the office of William J. Healy (D-Canton)
2701 15th Street NW
Canton, OH  44708
(330) 452-6711 - District Office
(614) 466-8030 - Columbus Office

Today, Representative Healy announced plans to introduce a resolution calling for the end of Ohio's term limits beginning in the year 2002. "Term limits take away the power of the voters," Healy said. "Right now, Ohioans have no power to keep an official that they feel has worked hard for them and their district."

When term limits were on the ballot in 1992, "the only voice you heard was the proponents. There was no organized  opposition, no opportunity for the voters to examine both sides of the issue," noted Healy.

When asked why the term limits will not end until the year 2002, Representative Healy replied, "I wanted to give the voters a chance to see the effects of term limits, and to recognize the loss they represent to the state government. Making this active in 2002 also ensures that the majority of legislators voting on the proposal will not have any self interest in the resolution.

Regardless of the outcome, these able and experienced legislators will be term limited in the year 2000."

Legislators' greatest assets are their ideas, their experience, and their ability to work well with one another, fostered by long relationships. With term limits, two of these assets are lost. The Founding Fathers were also concerned with this problem. James Madison said of term limits, "[t]he greater the proportion of new members and the less the information of the bulk of the members, the more apt they will be to fall into the snares that may be laid for them." (The Federalist, #53).

As Speaker Davidson noted when opening the 123rd General Assembly, "[w]ith the departure of several longtime members this session, more than 220 years of institutional experience was lost. After the 123rd General Assembly is completed another 698 years of legislative experience will go out the door."

As with all Constitutional amendments, the voters will have an opportunity to approve this measure.