A Smarter Charter?

Along with calling for a vote on single-member districts in 2012, Mayor Lee Leffingwell is expected to propose a suite of related changes to the City Charter at his State of the City remarks this week. He hopes the changes will lower the barriers to entry at City Hall, cut election expenses, and increase voter turnout. Before they can be adopted, the following proposals will receive further vetting and would have to gain council approval to appear on a ballot.

• Single-member districts: Leffingwell has spoken in favor of a 6-2-1 arrangement that would create six geographic City Council districts, with two at-large council seats, and an at-large mayor.

• Moving elections to November of odd-numbered years: If a 2012 vote passes, the city would see its first SMD council election in 2013.

• Extending council terms to four years, with no staggers: Current council terms are three years, with staggered elections: three seats up one year, four the next year, and no election the year after that. Leffingwell's proposal would make all nine seats up for election every four years and preserve the current three-term limit.

• Eliminating runoffs: Council contests currently require a majority – 50% plus one – for a winner to emerge without a runoff. The mayor proposes abandoning runoffs; winners would require only a plurality, as is the case at the state level.

• Changes to campaign finance rules: The city has a $350 individual limit (allowing for inflation-indexed increases) for campaign contributions. Leffingwell is considering a proposal that would maintain current limits for districted elections but increase the donation limit for citywide campaigns.

• A City Charter cleanup: In addition to the above charter revisions, Leffingwell is mulling a nonsubstantive "cleanup" to the charter that would delete obsolete and nullified language.