The Ohio Roundtable, a Solon-based conservative lobbyist group is campaigning against a recently-introduced state bill that would end term limits in Ohio.

Also joining the fight is a national pro-term limits organization.

Both lobbyists and lawmakers agree the bill does not seem headed for passage. Introduced by state Rep. William Healy, D-54, it would repeal term limits beginning in 2002.

In 1992 Ohio voters amended the state constitution to put term limits on both legislators and executives. Under it, no elected official is allowed to hold office longer than eight years, beginning with the elections in 1992.

Members of the Ohio House of Representatives are restricted to four two-year terms, while members of the Senate are limited to two four-year terms.

David Zanotti, president of the Ohio Roundtable, said after a visit to Columbus last week that he is convinced the repeal effort will fail.

“The term limits repeal bill doesn’t appear to have any serious support,” Zanotti said.

“It’s more than apparent that people are satisfied with the situation as we have it,” Zanotti said. “And I don’t think we will know the full impact of term limits for another eight to 10 years.”

The repeal bill has also caught the attention of U.S. Term Limits in Washington D.C. The organization, which has about 170,000 members nationwide, describes itself as a clearing house for term limit activists all over the country.

Paul Jacob, national director of U.S. Term Limits, said voters imposed term limits last year in a number of states, including Michigan, Arkansas, Oregon and Colorado. Maine voters approved them in 1994.

“The results have been fantastic," Jacob said. “In California term limits have been in effect in the lower house since 1996, and in the upper house since last year. And there’s a lot more competition for state offices. It’s been less partisan and a lot more has gotten done.”

But according to Jacob, movements to repeal term limits have begun across the United States. Like in Ohio, the movements started within the state legislatures.

Jacob said that 18 state legislatures have introduced repeal bills, including Ohio, Oregon, California, Michigan, Arkansas, Maine, Missouri, Utah, Idaho and Montana. Politicians are fighting the term limits now because in many cases term limits will soon force them to leave office, he said.

Healy, however, pointed out that his repeal bill would not take effect until 2002, after he will have been forced out of office because of term limits. Healy believes arguments against term limits never received a fair hearing.

“Politicians don’t want term limits, and they’re kicking and screaming all over the country,” Jacob said. “But any repeal would have to go before the voters first, and that’s the kiss of death for the politicians.

“The voters have already decided this question. It wasn’t even close. They wanted limited terms.”

Ohio House Speaker Jo Anne Davidson, R-24, said she has not conducted a formal vote count to determine if the proposed legislation would pass. But she said she opposes Healy’s bill, even though she is against term limits.

Davidson has been a House member for close to 20 years. Because of term limits, she cannot seek m-election next year and must leave office in 2001.

“I think it’s too early to put this on the ballot,” Davidson said. “I think first there has to be a build-up on the grass roots level. The only feeling against term limits I’m getting is from the editorial boards of newspapers.”

State Rep. Barbara Pringle, D-13, agrees it is too early for a repeal. Pringle has been a state representative for more than 16 years and started her last two-year term in January.

“The people have made their decision,” Pringle said. “I think we need to give the term limits an opportunity to work.”

State Sen. Dan Brady, D-23, said he too, opposes Healy’s bill. Although against term limits, Brady said the limits must take effect for citizens to realize the problems they will generate.

State Sen. Grace Drake, R-22, said voters did themselves a disservice when they established term limits. Drake has held her Senate seat for more than 15 years.

“The voters took a right away from themselves,” Drake said.

Zanotti disagreed.

“People that make that argument are stripping the people’s right to amend their own constitution,” Zanotti said.

But general assembly members said term limits keep lawmakers to accumulating valuable public service experience. And that ultimately hurts voters.

“Term limits have not worked out as well as some people who have supported them thought they would,” Davidson said. “It creates a management problem on the House floor because we already have people leaving all the time.”

According to Rep. Ed Jerse, D-14, 45 House members will be forced to leave office in two years. Many House members have already left in anticipation of the term limits taking effect.

Davidson said at the beginning of this year about 200 years of experience walked out of the House. She said next year almost 700 years of House experience will leave.

Drake said the term limits will hit the Senate even harder.

“We’ve had 57 changes in the Senate since I came in 15 years ago, and that’s out of 33 Senate seats,” Drake said. “We can’t afford to sustain any more changes than that.”

According to Zanotti, a total of 60 seats in the general assembly will be up for election in 2000. Zanotti said lawmakers earlier this decade predicted that 99 seats would be open at one time, creating what they characterized as too great a turnover.

Brady said although the Healy bill will likely fail, the discussion about term limits should continue.

“Term limits undercut the authority of the state legislature, the branch of government closest to the people, and shifts more influence to the executive branch,” Brady said. But Zanotti pointed out that 23 House Republicans last week proposed a tax cut after Gov. Bob Taft announced his state budget. The proposal contradicted the wishes of Taft, as well as the Republican leadership in both the House and senate.

Zanotti said that under previous House regime, which was not restricted by term limits, the representatives would not have had the courage to stand up against their own party. He said newer House members are more independent.

Jerse favors term limits but would like to see the limit set at either 12 or 16 years, instead of eight.

“It’s become very difficult to dislodge an incumbent,” Jerse said.

“And every person should have the opportunity to run for office. If you have someone in office for 30 years, that’s impossible.”