On November 6th the voters of Mechanicville will decide whether or not to eliminate term limits for the mayor and city council. The local communities of Stillwater, Waterford, and Ballston Spa do not have term limits. Citizens of these communities have the right to make their own decisions. We do not understand why Mechanicville's citizens should be deprived of the freedom to vote for whomever they choose. We disagree with the premise that “we need to be protected from ourselves" and thus be deprived of the freedom to make our own decisions.

The position of mayor in our city is a part time one. This is not a referendum on the mayor's performance. That will occur next year in the election if he is allowed on the ballot. This is a referendum rather on whether or not we want to retain the right to keep our own voting rights.