In an attempt to inspire new leadership and fresh ideas in the race for mayor, Metro Councilman Brent Ackerson, D-26, said he plans to introduce a resolution before the council that would encourage the Kentucky General Assembly to amend Louisville’s merger law and set shorter mayoral term limits. The freshman councilman’s idea has sparked a healthy conversation about how Metro government operates, but we couldn’t help but notice who The Courier-Journal’s editorial board decided to slam in their missive against the idea.

From The C-J:

The latest effort to limit the mayor’s terms is being pushed by (guess who?) Republicans on the Metro Council, weary, no doubt, of repeated drubbings by Jerry Abramson, who has been mayor for most of the past quarter century, before and after governments were merged. As with the post-war congressional effort, this is spite, pure and simple, but it won’t hurt Jerry Abramson, who has decided not to seek a third term and will run instead for lieutenant governor.

The newspaper’s knee-jerk editorial has already painted the debate with a partisan brush, but it should be noted that the so-called “spite” of the resolution is coming from Ackerson, who is a Democrat and who made it a point to say the idea wasn’t an indictment of Abramson. And while Republican council members are reportedly supporting the measure, it did not come out of their shop.

Really, C-J?

Meanwhile, Council Democrats haven’t had a chance to debate the resolution, which hasn’t been filed, says Tony Hyatt, a spokesman for the majority caucus.

“There’s been some talk and discussion about it. It’s hard to say whether its support or opposition, but everybody is open to looking at it and generally optimistic about it,” says Hyatt. “I haven’t heard anybody say it’s something the council shouldn’t take on.”

At least one member of the Democratic caucus is supporting the coming resolution. That would be Metro Council President David Tandy, D-4, who is running for mayor. The C-J reported his support, as well as Republican Councilman (and mayoral candidate) Hal Heiner, R-19.

UPDATE:

The fallout from the lack of basic fact-checking by the C-J editorial board in its rant against mayoral term limits continues.

From Louisville Mojo:

I asked (Councilman Brent) Ackerson, whose father, Jon, IS a Republican on the Council, if he was switching parties. “I’m happy and content right where I am,” he said, adding that he was disappointed that the C-J was turning the push for term limits into a partisan issue.

Meanwhile, Steve Haag, a spokesman for the council’s Republican caucus, says the C-J editorial board should at the very least print a retraction or clarification for being misinformed about the resolution’s sponsor, which was coverd in their paper.

“We support what Brent Ackerson is doing. We believe term limits are a long held practice,” says Haag. “The fact they jumped out on Republicans when this is led by a Democrat shows their motives have to be at least questioned.”