Governor Ducey has signed Bill, HB2721, into law which now allows citizen mandated term limits for local elected officials to be fully enforceable in every town in Arizona protecting voter rights and integrity among our elected officials. The bill passed both houses by a super majority: Representatives (50 – 10) and Senate (23 – 6 – 1).
“Thank you to Representative Jay Lawrence for sponsoring this bill and Senate President Karen Fann for her strong support. I also would like to acknowledge and thank Carefree citizens Bob Schenkel, John Traynor, and Rod de Szendeffy in helping to make this legislation a reality,” stated Michael Farrar, former Town Council member.
The Carefree Term Limits statute, authorized by an overwhelming majority of Carefree voters in 2011 and subsequently reinforced when Carefree voters twice turned down extended terms for Mayor and Council members, has never been deemed ‘illegal’ nor in violation of State Law as claimed by certain Carefree officials. Last spring, a Superior Court Judge approved an injunction barring the Town of Carefree from keeping one term-limited official, Vice Mayor John Crane, off the ballot in Carefree’s Primary election. While Carefree’s term limits law has always been completely legal, that judge cited lack of enforceability because the state had no statute addressing enforceability. It was simply ‘quiet’ on the matter. Term limits were not illegal, just lacked the statute to enforce if a council member chose to ignore the will of the voters and sue their town to extend their term. Now, with the passing of HB2721, no judge in any Arizona Court can rule against enforcing Term Limits for elected officials.
