By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Common Council is putting off a final decision on establishing term limits for the city's elected officials.
Lawmakers Tuesday voted to send the controversial issue back to committee. The bill's chief sponsor, North District Council Member Joseph Golombek, is now hopeful term limits will be approved at the Council's next meeting.
"Originally, we were told we would need a referendum for term limits to pass in the city of Buffalo," Golombek said. "What we've now been told by our attorney is that a simple majority vote at the next Council meeting would enact term limits. I'm going to check into that to determine if that's accurate."
Under Golombek's proposal, the mayor and comptroller would be limited to two, four-year terms while Council members could serve three, four-year terms. He said many of the city's problems may be a result of people holding office for too long.
"The bulk of our problems are political in nature, based on who we've elected to governmental office." Golombek said. "Since 1966, there have only been four mayors in the city of Buffalo. I think that's a problem."
Opponents of term limits say city residents already have the right to limit terms and vote people out of office. But Golombek says challengers often find it difficult to raise the money to successfully unseat an incumbent. M