Interesting referendum on the ballot down in Thomasville. If approved, it would allow the terms of office for all members of council to be four years for each of the seven seats. The new terms would be phased in, with the top four vote-getters in the 2011 election receiving four-year terms and the next three receiving two-year terms.
As we know up here in Greensboro, a lot can happen in two years, and the thought of being stuck with the mayor and some council members is enough to make more than a few people shudder. Chair City voters will just have to decide for themselves. But what I can’t figure out is how changing the system would hurt minorities, as the local NAACP claims. A lawsuit is already being kicked around if the referendum passes.
