The Page City Council approved adding a mayoral term length change to the 2020 ballot. Voters will decide whether to extend the current two-year term to four years. The change wouldn’t take effect until 2022 if passed.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
By Bob Hembree
Lake Powell Chronicle
PAGE – The Page City Council approved adding a mayoral term length change to the 2020 ballot. Voters will decide whether to extend the current two-year term to four years. The change wouldn’t take effect until 2022 if passed.
Mayor Levi Tappan, who introduced the proposal, said the longer terms would “keep some institutional knowledge on the council” and “help keep some consistency for staff.” Tappan emphasized the importance of maintaining consistency when working with long-term projects and goals. He cited examples like the Horseshoe Bend parking lot taking six years and getting new park equipment took four years.
Four-term mayor Bill Diak, who Tappan defeated last election, expressed a different view. He and Tappan will face off again in the 2020 mayoral election.
Diak said, “Sometimes it’s difficult to get your feet wet in that first two-year term. Usually, if they manage to get along very well with the rest of the council and the citizens, it’s not a problem getting re-elected.”
Diak warned that the longer-term could create a voting block in the council that would be difficult to get rid of.
Term lengths across the country range from one to four years, with the majority of cities opting for four-year terms. Some cities, especially larger cities, are more concerned with the number of terms a mayor can serve.
Only 9 percent of cities limit number of terms, according to the National League of Cities. Of the cities that do impose limits, 55 percent have two-term limits.
