Joliet community leader Sheridan makes second appeal for local term limits

A Joliet neighborhood leader made a second pitch for local term limits Tuesday to the City Council.

“Simply put, voters want term limits,” Cunningham Neighborhood Council President John Sheridan told the City Council at its regular meeting. “They want fresh faces with fresh ideas, and term limits would provide this.”

Mayor Terry D’Arcy and council members gave no response to Sheridan’s urging that they develop an ordinance that would put a limit of three terms on elected city officials.

It was Sheridan’s second appearance to the council on the term limits issue.

Sheridan initially brought up the issue before the April 1 election for three at-large council members, which resulted in the two incumbents in the race being reelected.

The question of term limits was raised during at least one candidates forum in the campaign, but the issue did not appear to have a big impact.

Senior council member Jan Quillman, the one candidate to take a stand against term limits, was elected to her sixth term. At the forum, Quillman said voters in elections should decide how many terms council members serve.

Sheridan, however, said he believes voters overwhelmingly support term limits.

For now, he’s urging the council to take up the matter in committee and develop an ordinance for a full council vote.

“The second option is for the council to put this issue on the ballot and let the voters decide,” he said. “I believe that would pass with an overwhelming majority.”

He said voters also could petition to put a term-limit proposal on the ballot.