Campaign limits are in natural order

There is wisdom in nature, in that our usefulness will eventually diminish and our time comes to an end. The natural order of things eventually leads to death and birth. In that process, others can lead whose vigor and idealism can drive our world into a better future. That said, try convincing a local politician of that ideal when they aim to stay in office long after their useful years have sputtered and waned into a defensive intolerance.

The idea of giving up a powerful office was renewed by George Washington. Arguably, it was one of the most enduring and valuable legacies he gave our country. But, it is a concept too easily ignored by lesser men unaccustomed to holding a position of leadership.

It is from the perspective of experience that we can appreciate the incredibly powerful legacy Washington bestowed on this nation. It is the patronage of a righteous man that we have squandered by electing blindly from misconstrued campaign rhetoric disseminated by those seeking a venal office.

Washington left two powerful positions voluntarily. Each time he was called by his countrymen, he served to achieve a vision of what this country could be. Each time, he left it willingly, once as commander of our armed forces and later as president of a nascent nation. He left a valuable legacy. We have ignored it far too long.

In Glendale, we seem to nourish the medieval concept of life-long tenure, or, at least, four terms in office. It is not as if we had a shortage of candidates willing to serve this city. At the last council election, 19 people felt that they could contribute effectively, and three showed us true elements of vision.

Vision is what we desperately need. Not one of our sitting council members has produced a statement of his vision for Glendale. That lack of commitment shows up every week at council sessions as a plethora of ordinances that show up ad-hoc into an agenda that often surprise the public. Sadly, each week, many of those ordinances seem to reward a campaign contributor or a renown group who publicized their endorsement of a councilman during the previous campaign.