UMaine Professors’ Book on Term Limits Cited in BDN Editorial
A 2005 book on term limits written by three one-time University of Maine professors was cited in the Bangor Daily News editorial “Term limits have changed Maine Legislature — for the worse.” The book, “Changing Members: The Maine Legislature in the Era of Term Limits,” was written by Kenneth Palmer, a professor emeritus of political science; Richard Powell, a current political science professor; and Matthew Moen, former professor and chair of the Political Science Department. The researchers found while term limits have increased turnover in the Legislature, there are many negative consequences, according to the editorial. “They found many detrimental effects, ranging from committee chairs who don’t know how to run meetings to a more than tripling of the number of bills that have only one supporting vote in committee, resulting in a floor debate and other time-consuming administrative procedures for bills that will ultimately die,” the article states.