Batt Blasted For Stand On Term Limits Governor Now Says He Has Reservations About New Law
The head of Idahoans for Term Limits is chastising Gov. Phil Batt for saying he now has reservations about the state’s new law setting limits for time in office.
Executive director Beau Parent on Friday also announced his group will push a measure in the Legislature requiring candidates to detail their election history.
“I stand here today to give notice that the people will not cave in to the new incumbency,” Parent said. He added that 234,703 Idahoans voted for term limits last November, compared with the 216,123 who voted Republican Batt into office.
Later Friday, the governor replied he was not working against term limits, although he had lost his enthusiasm for them after more review and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
“I do think the law is dehabilitated. That does not mean I don’t think the act should continue; I’m not going to try to repeal it,” he said.
Batt on Tuesday told the annual Boys State conference in the Capitol that he questions the termlimits law. He said he signed the original petition to put it on the ballot before he realized it not only applied to Congress and statewide posts, but also to local councils and school boards.
The recent ruling that voided state-imposed restrictions on congressional service also swayed him, Batt said.
Parent said the petitions stated very clearly the limits would apply to elected positions from Washington, D.C., to rural school trustees.
He added the petitions made apparent the term-limits law does not preclude voters from writing in the names of the people they support, even if their term limit time had run out.
“You tell me. It’s pretty clear you can vote for anyone you want,” he said.
“I will admit I didn’t read it closely,” Batt said of the petition. “I do not suggest it was a good effort on my part.”
Parent announced his proposed “Incumbent Disclosure Act of 1996.” It would require several items to be printed under a candidate’s name on the ballot.
“Elected to this office ‘X’ times, served in the office ‘Y’ years, employed by the public for ‘Z’ years,” Parent said.
In addition, candidates could allow the state to print: “Pledged to serve no more than Idaho’s term limits to this office,” or “Refused to take term limits pledge.”
“And if a pledge were broken in a future election, ‘Broke term limits pledge’ would be printed,” he said.
Parent warned that if the Legislature and governor repeal the termlimits law, a referendum drive would place the issue back on the table.”If we go to a referendum, it’s not the same thing that can be done on a volunteer basis,” he said.