Miami-Dade County voters will have seven charter amendments to consider. The first one is the most important: term limits. It sets two consecutive terms of four years for county commissioners to serve.
Miami-Dade’s home-rule charter is essentially the “constitution” for the county, granting certain powers of governance to the mayor and commissioners. Since 1957, when the charter was adopted, voters have been asked at least 13 times to raise the salaries of commissioners, but they have resisted.
This year, a majority of commissioners approved (and a charter task force recommended) that term limits be put on the ballot without tying the limits to a raise. Good thinking. Voters will be more willing to raise commissioners’ woefully inadequate 1950s-era, part-time salary of $6,000 a year in the future if they have a guarantee of term limits. Vote Yes.
