By Adam Pagnucco.
The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) has released a statement opposing the charter amendment reducing county executive term limits from three to two that will be on the ballot in November. After receiving the statement, I asked the union whether the Apple Ballot, which it widely distributes at the polls, will list opposition to term limits among its positions. I will update this post when I hear back.
The teachers’ statement appears below.
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September 5, 2024
Contact: Kate Hardwicke, mceapress@mceanea.org
For Immediate Release
MCEA Opposes Additional County Executive Term Limits
Rockville, MD – The Montgomery County Education Association, representing 14,000 educators in MCPS, opposes Question A that, if passed, would amend the County Charter to reduce the County Executive’s term limits from three consecutive terms to two.
The use of the ballot initiative process is essential in a healthy democracy and should be available to all voters to hold elected officials accountable. We do not question the use of the ballot initiative process, but rather the motives of this ballot initiative’s proponents, who seek to punish political enemies after losing fairly at the ballot box.
The main backers of this ballot initiative aren’t motivated by good policy. Instead, they are weaponizing the ballot initiative process into a referendum on an already term-limited incumbent – whom voters will get to decide to reelect or not in 2026.
“Setting partisan politics aside, the Montgomery County Executive is already a term-limited position; no county executive is empowered to serve for life,” said MCEA President David Stein. “Rather than changing the rules of the game by further reducing the terms the officer can hold through a ballot initiative, let’s allow the electorate to decide at the ballot box in 2026. MCEA urges voters to vote against Question A.”