After the Legislature adjourned in June, I asked myself what positive changes lawmakers in Augusta accomplished. Politicians from both parties had promised real tax relief, affordable health care, and more efficient – and less expensive – governing. After some reflection, I realized there was nothing those politicians accomplished that they could proudly cite and say, “This will make Maine a more affordable place to live and work.”

So what did they do during the first six months of 2007? They added a half-billion dollars in government spending, maintained our second-highest-in-the-nation tax burden, and allowed health insurance reform to go up in smoke. There was one thing, however, I’m sure politicians would say is a success – their role in extending term limits, weakening our citizen Legislature and disregarding the citizen initiative process in Maine.

Days before the Legislature adjourned, politicians put a question on November’s ballot asking voters to extend legislative term limits to six terms, or 12 years. The question, Question 5, asks: “Do you favor extending term limits for Legislators from 4 to 6 terms?”

Today, politicians can serve four consecutive terms, or eight years, in either the Senate or House of Representatives. After their terms are up, they are free to switch chambers and begin another four-term stint, or take two years off to live under the laws they helped create, and return to their old seat afterwards.

This has been the practice since term limits were put in place a short time ago.

In 1993, Democrat Rick Barton and Republican Ted O’Meara organized a grassroots signature gathering effort to put a citizen-initiated term limits question before Maine voters. Barton and O’Meara, each former chairs of their state parties, organized nearly 1,000 citizens to collect signatures from more than 95,000 Mainers who felt our citizen Legislature was being hijacked by career politicians focused on their own political power, instead of Maine people.

By Election Day, 68 percent of Maine’s voters – a margin of over 2 to 1 – understood term limits would encourage fresh faces, new ideas and a true citizen Legislature.

Today, politicians in Augusta are focused on increasing their grip on our citizen legislature and undermining the will of Maine voters. They are seeking to overturn what 68 percent of Maine voters put in place.

This elitist attitude of the Augusta political class has led to the “No More Than 4” campaign. No More Than 4 has been created to preserve our citizen legislature and beat back the attack on Maine’s citizen initiative process by opposing Question 5 on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Maine’s constitution guarantees the citizen right to create and enact laws. This provision is unique, as most other states do not afford such a valuable right. Maine’s constitution does also give the Legislature the right to amend citizen initiatives, if they are passed by the voters. However, because of the hard work and popular support these initiatives require to become a law, citizen-initiated statutes should be held in higher regard.

Citizen initiatives are created by real Maine people, supported by real Maine people, and ultimately voted into place by real Maine people. Our citizen-initiated term limits are no exception. The citizen initiative is a sacred process; for 104 politicians to hastily disregard that process demonstrates their self-serving behavior, and an attack on the spirit of Maine government.

Unlike the 1993 term limits campaign, the 104 politicians who put Question 5 on the ballot did not organize Maine citizens to work to change the citizen-initiated law. They did not collect thousands of signatures from Maine citizens who wanted to vote on term limits. In fact, there was no public hearing, or even mention of the 1993 campaign that put term limits into effect. The politicians abused their authority to weaken one of the few statutes limiting their power in government, and a statute created by the people of Maine.

After the first session of this Legislature, Maine faces a $500 million increase in government spending, the second-highest tax burden in the nation, among the country’s most expensive health insurance rates, and an attack on the citizen initiative process that seeks to increase the amount of time politicians can remain in their seats.

Considering their failures to make Maine a more affordable state, and their blatant disregard of the citizen initiative process, do Augusta politicians deserve more time in office?

On Nov. 6, join us in voting “No” on Question 5.

Dan Billings, a Waterville attorney, is a consultant with the No More Than 4 campaign. He lives in Bowdoinham.