The proposal, which seemed to come out of nowhere, reportedly has been in the works for several months. His proposal has some merits, but shouldn't be adopted in its entirety, especially not without some serious and deliberate discussion and public input. City staff are currently gathering information on various forms of government around the state to assist in the discussion. Making all city commission seats four year terms make good sense.
Commissioners currently serve two or four-year terms.
Learning the intricacies of city government from the budget to various policies and governmental acronyms can take some getting used to. Clearly commissioners would be more effective with the more experience that they possess. The lengthier term may also prevent some people from running for office. A popularly elected mayor can certainly work. However, there are a lot of other issues that would have to be settled though.