OVIEDO, Fla. — Oviedo city leaders are moving forward with changes that would extend their terms in office from two years to four years — but not everyone on the city council wants the change.

• Oviedo leaders pushing charter amendment to extend terms
• 1 council member voted against the change to terms
• Mayor says it's more about moving council seat elections to general elections

Oviedo city leaders are pushing a charter amendment that could keep the mayor and another council member in office another year beyond their current elected terms. When the council passed the first reading of the amendment, one council member voted against it.

“It is a very convenient thing to be gifted an extra year in office without having to run,” said Councilwoman Megan Sladek, who voted against the measure.

But the mayor says he and other city leaders aren’t trying to extend terms to stay in office longer. He says it’s about moving all council seat elections to general elections.

Right now, Oviedo residents vote for three of the five city council seats during years when there are other state and national races on the ballot. But the mayor’s seat and another council seat come up for election in “off” years — when voters don’t have any other races to go to the polls for — and voter turnout is usually much lower.

“The members on the general election cycle get 70-75 percent turnout, the off-year cycles we get 10-14 percent turnout; it’s really inequitable,” said Oviedo Mayor Dominic Persampiere.

Mayor Persampiere says two-year terms are just not long enough.

“It takes a new member a good year to get used to what’s going on, and then they’re running for re-election,” Persampiere said.

“I think two-year terms give people enough time to do something, and voters can then keep them or not keep them; it keeps people on their toes,” Sladek said.

Sladek says Oviedo residents should have been involved in coming up with the changes.

“The citizens should make the rules to govern the politicians. The politicians shouldn’t come up with their own rules,” said Councilwoman Sladek.

“The mayor and another council member are trying to extend their current term in office,” said Matt Collins, Executive Director for the Seminole Committee for Government Accountability. “I think that’s a conflict of interest because they gain financially from that, and I think they should recuse themselves from the vote.”

The amendment also limits council members to two terms, which wouldn’t apply to terms already served.

Because it eliminates off-year elections, it would save the city up to $20,000 — the estimated cost of each off-year election the city usually has to pay for.

“Then we’ll all be on the general election cycle, there will be no costs to the city and we’ll just increase participation in our local elections,” said Mayor Persampiere.

If passed by the city council, Oviedo residents can vote on the measure in the August primary.

There’s a public hearing for the charter amendment on Monday, May 7 at Oviedo City Hall.