Should term limits be extended for the district attorney?
The question could make the November ballot at the request of Will Furse, district attorney for the 22nd Judicial District, representing Montezuma and Dolores counties.
The district attorney currently is limited to two consecutive four-year terms. Furse was elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. His second term is up in 2020, and he is interested in running for a third consecutive term. He needs voter approval in Montezuma and Dolores counties to extend the term limit.
Furse said he feels voters should be given the opportunity to re-elect their district attorney if that is their choice. He said that if he’s allowed to run for a third term and re-elected, the community would benefit from “continuity and experience” in the office and allow successful programs to continue long-term.
During his terms, Furse said, he implemented a districtwide grand jury system, expanded juvenile and adult diversion programs and supported pretrial services. He said one-third of Colorado judicial districts have extended term limits for district attorneys.
“It promotes stability in the office and gives assurances to staff,” he said.
Commissioners Keenan Ertel and James Lambert supported Furse’s request for a ballot question asking voters to extend the term limit. Furse would still need to run as a candidate for the position.
Ertel said he is against all term limits, and suggested a ballot question eliminating all of them for elected county officials.
“Term limits can be very destructive,” he said. “We had a great assessor (Mark Vanderpool) who was at the peak of his game, but was forced out by term limits.”
Ertel called term limits “arbitrary imposition” for local communities, and said that every election, voters have the opportunity to limit an elected official’s time in office.
“They can be voted in or out in every election cycle,” he said.
Commissioner Lambert said he is OK with term limits, but he supported extending the district attorney’s from two terms to three terms.
Commissioner Larry Don Suckla said he wants to find out how Dolores County feels about Furse’s request before making his decision.
Other term limits for Montezuma County officials are: Three four-year terms for assessor, clerk, treasurer and sheriff; two four-year terms for county commissioner, and two four-year terms for district attorney.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
