Rocky supports ballot initiative 1A (DA term limits)

This year's ballot initiative has drawn virtually no attention, so many folks wouldn't even know that the proposition is debatable. I, for one, have not yet read any opposition. So it's helpful to see that today's Rocky Mountain News describes the initiative, even as it urges a 'Yes' on Denver 1A. Below is an excerpt:

...why are we endorsing Denver Referred Question 1A, which would allow the Denver district attorney to serve three terms instead of the present limit of two?

Because every other office in Denver - including the mayor and city council - is allowed three terms, thanks to voters' decision seven years ago extending the limit from two to three. The district attorney wasn't included at the time in part because there was lingering debate whether term limits even applied to that office, although no such doubt exists today.

To be sure, Colorado voters rejected a referendum in 2002 that would have lifted term limits across the state for DAs. But Denver's 1A would not eliminate term limits. It would simply give the DA the same latitude enjoyed by other city office holders. A decade ago Denver voters likewise refused to simply eliminate all term limits.

For the record, we opposed three terms for city officials and still doubt the wisdom of the voters' decision. Without open offices created by retiring incumbents, elections tend to be listless affairs, with most races uncontested. That's precisely the sort of election that's occurring right now in Denver, where the mayor, auditor and most council members face only nominal competition, if any at all.