Ryan Dorsey
Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey introduced a bill last week that would undo the term limits that Baltimore voters overwhelmingly approved in November. A week prior, Mayor Brandon Scott vetoed a Dorsey-led effort to reduce the time of service required for public officials in his position to earn a full pension, which Dorsey introduced in reaction to the new term limits.
MPPI President and CEO Christopher Summers issued the following statement in reaction:
Since Baltimore voters enacted term limits for city elected officials in November, Councilman Dorsey has appeared particularly incapable of accepting the people’s will. Ironically, he attempts to justify his new proposal to overrule the term limits voters approved of just weeks ago with claims that he is standing up for democracy and against oligarchy. But I think any reasonable person can understand that 11,000 approved signatures to get the term limits question on the November ballot and then more than 70% of voters approving of the change is unquestionably democratic and non-oligarchical.
This move points to an ingrained arrogance and disrespect for the voters by some Baltimore officials. We hope that the city council will finally learn to put their own interests aside, and do the work that needs to be done for the people of the city.
The Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org.
