By John Fredericks / Staff

Roswell mayor Jere Wood’s new 2010 governing mantra is “Get ‘er done!”

The first thing the newly re-elected mayor got done was to term-limit himself out a job.

But to Wood, now in his fourth term as the Northside’s largest city’s CEO, a promise made is a promise kept.

He fulfilled a campaign pledge he made more than decade ago to impose term-limits on the Roswell mayoralty.

Better late than never, says Wood. The wily mayor twice tried to cajole the council to impose term limits in the late ‘90s, but each effort failed.

Wood beseeched his city council on Wednesday night to enact term limit legislation on the mayor, making Roswell, one of only a handful of metro cities (others include Atlanta, Alpharetta and Peachtree City) that have a cap on time served. The next Roswell mayor can serve no more than three consecutive terms.

Nationally, only 9 percent of all communities have term limits for their mayors.  

Wood repeatedly said in last year’s hard-fought campaign for re-election -- his fourth term — that longevity breeds complacency and myopic egotism. He was coincidentally in favor of making the job of Roswell mayor a full-time gig — after he retired. “Roswell has nearly 100,000 people,” he said. “It’s become a full-time job.” The current mayoral position pays $40,000 per year and is designated as a 30-35 hour workweek. Wood says it should be 50-plus hours and pay $120,000 per year.

Ever the realist, Wood admitted that more than 49 percent of Roswell voters chose to limit his terms to three at the ballot box in November. “A lot of people said I should move on,” he surmised.

Wood first got elected mayor in 1997 with a stunning upset victory over 32-year incumbent W.L. “Pug” Mabry. Wood made term limits part of his original campaign to oust Mabry from entrenched power.

Naturally, “council member for life” Jerry Orlans, a 17-year veteran who just won re-election to a fifth term, railed against the measure, casting the only “nay” vote Wednesday night.

Unlike Alpharetta, Roswell council members don’t have term limits. Wood said it’s not necessary because there is typically regular turnover on city council.

The state legislature needs to change Roswell’s charter before the term limit becomes effective. If approved, it would apply to Wood if he runs again in 2013. The resolution as passed applies only to full terms, not partial terms that might occur if a mayor left office during the middle of a four-year term.

In supporting the measure, Councilman Rich Dippolito said, “I think term limits for mayor is a good thing. It gives the mayor 12 years to get things done, then we’ll have new ideas and fresh perspectives.”