The Mat-Su Borough Assembly has voted down an ordinance to extend future terms of assembly members and the mayor from three years to four.
Assembly Member Randall Kowalke sponsored the proposal, and says getting up to speed on the assembly takes a significant amount of time. Kowalke says the motivation behind the proposed ordinance was to allow assembly members more time in their seats once they have gone through the learning curve. Since assembly members and the mayor are limited to two terms, it would extend the maximum service time from six to eight years. The terms currently being served would not have been extended.
Feedback from the audience was that something as significant as a change in assembly and mayoral term length should not be decided by the assembly itself, but rather by the voters of the Mat-Su Borough.
Assembly Members Steve Colligan and Jim Sykes also expressed a desire for more public input before making such a change.
Ultimately, all seven members, including Randall Kowalke, voted against the proposal.
