LETTERS: NO TERM LIMITS NEEDED FOR PERRY CO.

To the editor:

Does Perry County need a change of county officeholders? Certain people in Perry County are suggesting that officeholders are not responsive to the concerns of its citizens, but rarely has a concrete example been put forward. In fact, one politician has discreetly suggested implementation of a two-term limit for Perry County officeholders.

But does the politician realize such an implementation would mean that practically every officeholder in the county could not seek re-election?

One conclusion is that the people of Perry County overwhelmingly elect people with previous experience within their respective offices. Another conclusion is that the people of Perry County re-elect incumbents. The only exceptions to an incumbency re-election appear to be when the incumbent is incompetent or is physically sick.

However, such is not the case for most Perry County officeholders. With this consideration in mind, should an effective, experienced, honest, healthy and competent group of politicians be denied seeking re-election? As one local politician states, "Throw the baby out with the bath water?"

Furthermore, in a sense the people of Perry County already have term limits. All the people have to do is to get involved and to be informed enough to vote responsibly. If the voters have been electing the wrong people, they are responsible for the situation and for changing it at the next election.

The objective is to vote corrupt or incompetent politicians out of office quickly, but just as importantly to keep effective, experienced, honest, healthy and competent politicians in office. The ballot box is the purest and fastest answer when change is desired.

The will of the people of Perry County, expressed through the ballot box and backed up by the Constitution, and our system of checks and balances are what guarantee our freedom. Former Chief Justice Earl Warren states my view: "The right to vote freely for the candidate of one's choice is the essence of a democratic society, and any restrictions on that right strike at the heart of representative government." In short, I question the need for term limits in Perry County.

VALERIE KLEIN

Perryville