Last week, Mount Airy Mayor Jack Loftis announced he would not be seeking a third four-year term in office.

The mayor arrived at his decision for a number of reasons, some personal that he did not care to share. However, one key part of his decision was his belief that publicly elected officials should serve no more than two or three terms in office before stepping aside.

We believe the mayor is absolutely right in this belief.

Sure, someone with eight or twelve years, the equivalent of two or three terms, has a great deal of experience in local government at that point, but it is also all to easy for someone with that many years in office to have settled in to one way of doing things.

A change in leadership every so often is a good thing for all involved, because that brings a new, different perspective on issues a local government may be facing.

As for all of that lost experience departing the board if term limits were imposed? Well, there are countless ways such people can become involved in committees and other groups to aid the elected commissioners and city residents, putting that experience to good use in public service.

Some might argue that we already have term limits in the form of the elections, where local residents can end a person’s time in office via the ballot box.

This is true, to an extent, but incumbency has great advantages which are almost impossible to overcome. Name recognition, of course, is near the top of that list, as is the ability to use one’s position in the public eye to effectively campaign while serving. It is no accident that incumbents at the local level often win — sometimes that is because they are doing a good job, oftentimes it is simply because theirs is the only name voters recognize because of the incumbent’s ability to receive media coverage in office.

Will term limits ever become law at the local government level? Probably not, which makes it all the more gratifying to see an elected and popular mayor impose his own.

That is the mark of good leadership and true public service.