The case for term limits in local government

For fifteen years, Mt. Pleasant has had the same mayor. Stability can sometimes provide a sense of continuity, but for a city that in decline, it raises important questions about whether long incumbency serves us well. Leadership that stays in place year after year may offer familiarity, but it also risks complacency at a time when we need urgency, innovation, and new vision.

The facts about Mt. Pleasant are sobering. In 2020, our community had a population of 9,255. Today, it is just over 8,100. That is a loss of more than twelve percent in only five years. We are dropping at a rate of more than 2 percent each year. This is not a slow drift; it is a clear and steady weakening. As the county seat of Henry County, Mt. Pleasant is not immune to the broader challenges facing rural Iowa, but the numbers show that our regression is sharper than most of us realize.

The closing of Iowa Wesleyan University was one of the hardest blows. For more than 180 years, it stood as both an educational and economic anchor. Its students, staff, and faculty contributed millions of dollars to our local economy each year. When it closed its doors, more than one hundred jobs were lost and countless local businesses that relied on its presence saw their customer base vanish. Yet Wesleyan’s closure was not the only reason for our descent.

Like many rural towns, Mt. Pleasant faces a persistent out-migration of young people. Our graduates often leave for larger cities that promise more diverse jobs, greater cultural opportunities, and modern amenities. While some may return to raise families, too many do not, leaving a gap that is not being filled. At the same time, birth rates have slowed, and deaths now outnumber births. This demographic shift leaves us with a growing older population and a shrinking number of working age families to support economic growth.

Employment opportunities have also waned. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of people employed in Mt. Pleasant dropped by more than 3 percent. That may sound small, but in a community of our size it means hundreds of families losing income or moving elsewhere to seek work. Small businesses downtown continue to struggle with the loss of foot traffic and face the challenges of competing with larger regional hubs. Without intentional support and creative leadership, many find it hard to imagine a thriving future.

Housing and infrastructure play a role as well. Much of our housing stock is older and in need of repair. Without investment in updated homes, affordable rental units, and amenities like broadband and modern utilities, it is difficult to attract new families or workers who may otherwise consider settling here. The future of Mt. Pleasant depends not only on maintaining what we have but on building the kind of community that people actively choose to live in.

In this environment, the risks of extended incumbency become clearer. A mayor who has served for fifteen years may know the mechanics of city government well, but familiarity can become a weakness when bold change is required. Leadership that remains unchanged for too

long can fall into patterns that no longer serve the present. It can overlook the urgency of degeneration and instead focus on managing the day to day, rather than planning for transformation. Even when no wrongdoing occurs, long tenure creates the appearance of insider relationships, closed circles of influence, and decisions made out of habit rather than fresh vision.

Term limits are not about punishing dedicated public servants. They are about renewing our democratic system by ensuring that leadership never becomes a permanent seat. They create opportunities for new voices to step forward, for younger generations to participate, and for innovative ideas to be tested. Former leaders do not disappear when their terms end. They continue to contribute as advisors, community members, and champions of the causes they care about. What the community loses in continuity it more than regains in energy, accountability, and creativity.

Critics of term limits often argue that experience is valuable and should not be discarded. They are right that experience matters. But when experience becomes entrenchment, it ceases to serve the public good. Our community cannot afford to cling to the same leadership while the population shrinks, businesses struggle, and young families leave. Experience must be balanced with renewal. Term limits ensure that balance by creating a healthy cycle of leadership turnover.

Ultimately, democracy depends on choice. True choice exists only when new candidates feel they have a fair chance to compete, and voters feel they have genuine alternatives. Without term limits, incumbents become increasingly difficult to challenge, and potential leaders are discouraged before they even begin. In a shrinking city like ours, we cannot afford to limit ourselves to the same leadership year after year.

Mt. Pleasant is a community with deep roots, proud traditions, and strong people. But the future cannot be secured by habit or routine. It requires leadership willing to face decline honestly and act decisively to reverse it. Fifteen years is long enough. It is time to adopt term limits and open the door to new leadership that will fight for the future Mt. Pleasant deserves.

Kasey Conrad, Mt. Pleasant