The question comes up every so often: If four-year terms are good enough for the state’s constitutional off cers, such as governor and secretary of state, why wouldn’t it make sense to do the same for elected county leaders such as the county judge, sherift justices of the peace and even coroner?

The argument, popular among those elected to off ce but less so among those who might challenge them, is that the current two-year terms are too short to let off cials do theirjobs without having the next election looming on the horizon.

THE IMPACT OF RUNNING FOR OFFICE

It’s a complaint we hear from congressmen, too.

They get elected and before they know it, it’s time to start fundraising for the next election cycle.

Arkansas’ sherifts have also long pined for a less-frequent occurrence of democracy.

County offces used to be immune to lengthy election cycles, but it seems nowadays that newly elected leaders believe they need to announce their re-election plans 10 minutes after they’re sworn in.

David Dinwiddie, a Libertarian candidate for lieutenant governor, filed a petition for a constitutional amendment to lengthen the terms of county off cials.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel recently certified the petition, but it won’t make it onto next year’s November ballot unless Dinwiddie or other supporters collect 78,133 signatures from Arkansas voters. They have until July 7 to get it done.

Supporters say public employees would feel better about the stability of four-year terms and offceholders would have better opportunities to implement changes to make off ces more eft ective.

We buy some of the arguments about the benefits of longer terms of off ce. But extending those terms is not enough.

Arkansas voters might get better service from some offceholders with four-year terms, but they would also get stuck for a long time with candidates who show they’re not up to the task.

With two-year cycles, one can argue taxpayers can withstand anyone until the next election rolls around. Four-year terms are an entirely dift erent story.

If term extensions are to be acceptable, Arkansas also needs to reform its recall provisions. As it stands under Arkansas’ Constitution, circuit courts can remove a county or township off cer for “incompetency, corruption, gross immorality, criminal conduct, malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in off ce.”

History has shown that’s a challenging process even when circumstances seem clear.

The public should have a process by which it can remove from offce someone it has placed there.

It shouldn’t be easy or capable of being used lightly, but county elected off cials need a checks-and-balance system if they are to benefi t from four-year terms.

Although a four-year term may oft er better opportunities for elected offcials to do their jobs, they ofter no guarantees of it. They might make government work better, but Arkansans need protection in those situations where it doesn’t work out that way.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 09/30/2013