By John Pacenti
Town Manager Michelle Heiser asked the Ocean Ridge Commission at its Feb. 2 meeting to consider revising the town charter’s term-limit provisions, arguing that limits enacted in 2019 may hinder the town’s ability to carry long-term projects across election cycles.
Heiser told commissioners she was raising the issue as a policy question for their consideration, not at the request of any commissioner. Her memo and on-dais remarks framed term limits as a potential liability for a small municipality facing complex, multiyear initiatives and shifting state rules that could affect local revenue and regulation.
“Term limits, while a very good talking point politically, can work against us in a small town,” Heiser said. She noted that the 2019 charter change now creates the possibility that multiple seats could turn over at once, leaving the commission with a large share of new members at critical moments for projects requiring institutional memory and continuity.
Heiser pointed to examples of lengthy public works projects elsewhere — including a decades-long county bridge project from her prior experience in Port St. Lucie — to illustrate efforts that benefit from elected officials with longer tenures and deeper familiarity with local priorities. “We’re going to move forward with a lot of projects, and this town would benefit from having a lot of institutional knowledge on this board and understanding exactly what the constituents want,” she said. “In the next couple of years, we’ll have an election where people are not gonna be able to run again, and that’s going to be a loss.”
Vice Mayor Steve Coz currently holds the most consecutive years serving on the commission and will be ineligible to run once his current term ends in 2028. The Town Charter limits commissioners to three consecutive three-year terms, after which they must sit out a year before running again.
Mayor Geoff Pugh, the next longest-serving in terms of consecutive years, could run for office again in 2027 before he is term-limited.
Heiser also noted that Ocean Ridge does not have a residency requirement for candidates like other municipalities. Such rules ensure that newcomers have time to learn the town’s culture before seeking office.
The manager said the idea is intended to be a conversation starter, not an immediate action item. Any charter change, she reminded the board, would require voter approval. She also noted that the earliest practical timeline to place such a measure before voters would likely be March of next year.
Commissioners already experienced what could happen if an exodus of elected leaders takes place.
In 2023, four commissioners resigned: Martin Wiescholek, in protest over the hiring of then Town Manager Lynne Ladner; and Kristine de Haseth, citing family obligations; then their two replacements, with Philip Besler citing personal reasons and Ken Kaleel citing opposition to new financial disclosure requirements.
At the March 2 commission meeting, several residents offered public comments on the issue. Pugh asked that the item be on April’s agenda, where the commission can decide how to move forward — or to keep term limits as they are written in the charter.
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