Term Limits and the Modern Era of Municipal Reform

Douglas Cantor is a full-time teaching instructor at Rutgers University—New Brunswick. His teaching and research interests include constitutional law, water law and policy, housing law and policy, urban politics, American politics, privatization, and judicial politics.

• Part 1: Term Limits and Reform 1. A Reckoning of Reform 2. Term Limits and the Rise of the Modern Era of Municipal Reform 3. Municipal Reform: Modernizing the Literature With How We Understand Term Limits Part 2: Cases 4. Studying Local Term Limits 5. Roswell, GA 6. Tinley Park, IL 7. Naperville, IL 8. Orland Park, IL 9. Santa Monica, CA 10. Loomis, CA 11. Arlington, TX 12. Farragut, TN 13. Lincoln, NE 14. West Seneca, NY 15. Allentown, PA 16. St. Tammany Parish, LA 17. Palm Beach Gardens, FL 18. Alsip, IL 19. Opa-Locka, FL 20. Marietta, GA 21. Hudson, OH 22. Palmer, AK 23. Green Bay, WI 24. Topeka, KS Part 3: Conclusions 25. On Incumbency 26. On the Reform Impulse 27. On Diffusion 28. On the Acceptance or Rejection of Term Limits 29. Other Observations 30. Conclusion: Reflections on Term Limits and the Rise of the Modern Era of Reform

In this deeply researched analysis, Cantor urges a new conceptualization of the push for municipal term limits. Like the Progressive Reformers of the early 20th century, term limits supporters view institutional change as the proper corrective to government ills (however they might be defined). In so doing Cantor brings a fresh approach (studying the drivers of local term limits, rather than their effects) and novel data (from 20 varied cases) that will influence the way scholars think about both municipal reform and efforts to limit incumbency.Jessica Trounstine, Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt UniversityCantor provides a splendid account on the progressive idealism behind turnout limits in local politics and the tumultuous consequences of implementing them in practice. With its comprehensive theory and detailed case studies, this volume is a must have for any library on local politics and governance in the United States. Eric Oliver, Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago