Democracy Hacks: End incumbency at city hall

When you look at your city council, do you see the same faces you've seen for years? Vass Bednar does, and she says it's bad for democracy. We asked the municipal researcher to share her hack for incumbency.

Bednar says there are two effects of incumbency: it reinforces apathy amongst voters, and it encourages elected officials to maintain the status quo. It also prevents fresh faces, with fresh ideas, from getting into chambers.

"It discourages other people, average people, the everyday citizen, talented people, from putting their name on the ballot, because city council starts to become sort of impenetrable."

Vass Bednar

She admits there are advantages to having experienced people in municipal office, but she says we need to decide if we want politics to be a profession. "If it is a profession, then let's leave it to the professionals," she says, but if it isn't, it's time to discourage incumbency.

"If you'd like to be a public official for longer than 8 years, which would be two terms, you could become a civil servant, you can become a community leader. There are other ways to serve your community and effect change that don't take place at city hall."

Vass Bednar

To stop such entrenched incumbency, Bednar would introduce term limits. But she also suggests something a bit different: first, hold a referendum to determine if voters want to unseat each councillor. If they do, then have an election for who will replace them. This way new candidates wouldn't have to spend time and money on a campaign that was unlikely to succeed.

Bednar hopes these new candidates would include young people (under 40), and professionals who could bring experience into council-- and then when their term limit is reached, cross back into the private sector with the experience they gained in office.