Englewood Sun tells it like it is: "Fishy"

While the Englewood Sun is no friend of Sarasota term limits, their editorial board chair Brian Gleason on Oct. 19 told the whole truth -- minus all the spin and prevarications we are hearing from the county commission -- about the commissions' proposal to replace Sarasota's existing voter-approved 8-year term limits with new 12-year limits and a new 12-year grandfathering period.

You can read the whole thing here, but here's the highlights:

"Going forward, the incumbents will have to justify an action that is
obviously self-serving.

"Is this the Jon Thaxton Preservation Act? Of course it is.

"Does this co-opt a previous referendum that passed with a 68-percent
majority? Of course it does.

"Is it right to hold a referendum during the January Republican Party
primary? Of course not. Turnout among the 87,000 registered Democrats will
be minimal, to say the least. Republicans have every reason to favor a
measure that would keep the five commissioners — all Republicans — in
office.

"Slam dunk. Win-win. Fishy, perhaps, but one sleek mackerel...If you are going to impose term 'limits,' it’s best to make them as meaningless as possible."

Wow. In a one-party county where incumbents haven't lost an election since the mid-'90s and commissioners often don't even draw opposition, the good ol' boys are apparently comfortable openly scoffing at the will of voters and the rights of the opposition party. It may be an affront to democracy and fair play, but you have to give the paper credit for its chutzpah.