STANDISH – A group of Standish residents, including former Town Councilor Lou Stack, has submitted a petition calling for Town Council term limits.

The group’s proposed charter amendment would limit councilors to a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms. After serving either four successive years or two consecutive terms, councilors would have to wait three years in order to run again. The amendment does not propose a lifetime limit on council terms.

If approved by voters, the charter amendment would prevent five of the seven standing councilors from running once their term expires, according to Town Manager Gordon Billington. Wayne Newbegin, who was elected to the council last month, and Steve Nesbitt, who was recently appointed to a one-year, at-large seat, would be able to run again.

Dan Kasprzyk, Walter Wasson, William Napolitano, Gary Lind and Stack, who didn’t run for re-election in June after three terms on the council, filed an affidavit for a petition to amend the municipal charter on July 17. On Aug. 18, the group, which hopes to put the amendment before Standish voters at the Nov. 4 elections, submitted the petition with 1,154 signatures – clearing the needed threshold of 804. According to Town Clerk Mary Chapman, the amendment requires that at least 1,205 voters, or 30 percent of the turnout at the last gubernatorial election, participate in the referendum. It could pass with a simple majority, Chapman said.

Kasprzyk, a member of the School Administrative District 6 Board of Directors who has helped spearhead the effort, said the proposed charter amendment is designed to counter complacency among long-term councilors. It should not be taken as an attack on sitting councilors, he said.

“The Town Council is the legislative authority in the town of Standish and by having term limits on that it gets rid of the complacency with the Town Council,” Kasprzyk said. “It freshens things up.”

To John Sargent, the council chairman, the proposed charter amendment, which does not propose term limits for school board or budget committee members, is a clear affront to the sitting council.

In Sargent’s view, the Standish Watchdog Group, which includes Kasprzyk and newly elected councilor Wayne Newbegin, is behind the charter amendment. Sargent, a Republican, said that the group’s leadership, which he characterized as “Tea Party,” had hoped that more of its allies had won at the June election.

“I would say it’s a bit of an end run around the last election results,” Sargent said. “They’re from the far right.”

Kasprzyk denied the charges.

“That’s the farthest thing from the truth,” Kasprzyk said. “I’m sorry that Mr. Sargent feels that that’s the case, because he’s wrong, period. I’m sorry that Mr. Sargent is taking it personally.”

“There’s no malice here,” he added.

According to Kasprzyk, the council will likely hold a public hearing on the proposed charter amendment on Sept. 23.

On Monday, Standish residents Dan Kasprzyk, left, and Lou Stack submitted a petition with 1,154 signatures, calling for term limits for the Standish Town Council.