Legislative Affairs Committee fails to support term limit motion

  A term limit ordinance for elected officials introduced by Councillor-At-Large Marc Silvestri failed to pass muster with the city council’s legislative affairs subcommittee Monday night.

  The motion failed by a 0-5 vote in subcommittee. It could still come up for a vote before the council as a whole at a future meeting.

  The act presented by Silvestri would limit councillors and school committee members to no more than five terms, and the mayor to no more than three. If enacted, it would not affect officials already in office who have exceeded that number of terms.

  “I know Councillor Silvestri suggested this motion, and I know it is part of his campaign slogan, and I can certainly appreciate that I think many people have a view on this,” said Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe. “I always take the view that the voters have the right to choose who they want to elect, and if they want a councillor to be elected for more than a certain amount of time, then that is the right of the voter, and I would not want to take that away from them.”

  Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said he agreed with Keefe.

  “I think it’s a tough call, and I appreciate Councillor Silvestri putting it in, but I just don’t think it is the right thing for Revere,” he said.

  Councillor-at-Large Steven Morabito echoed that it would take rights away from the voters to decide who they want representing them.

  “While I feel that it is well intentioned, and I understand Marc’s position, I do believe it is a resident’s choice,” said Council President Gerry Visconti. “If they don’t want one of us up here, they have the right to not put us up here. Leaving it in their hands is, I feel, the right thing to do.”

  In other business, the subcommittee quickly voted to support a motion presented by Ward 5 Councillor Al Fiore to honor the first women elected to the council with their portraits in the council chambers.

  The original motion by Fiore garnered some discussion by the full council at last week’s meeting. Fiore proposed installing portraits of the first elected female ward councillors, Rita Singer and Elvira “Vera” Curcio, and the first elected female at-large councillor, Linda Santos Rosa.

  Keefe said there are many trailblazing women the city could honor, but said he believed Fiore’s motion was well intentioned and served the purpose he was looking for.

  “I think your motion as you mentioned meant something to you, and I will support your motion as you initially suggested,” said Keefe.