When the gavel strikes and the 89th session of the Michigan state Legislature comes to a close at year-end, the era of the powerful incumbent politician will officially be over.
Sixty-four incumbent representatives, including Rep. Mary Schroer (D- Ann Arbor), are constitutionally barred from running for re-election in November.
Whether a less experienced legislature will be able to effectively govern has spread concern through political circles since a 1992 ballot proposal amended the state constitution to require term limits.
John Truscott, Gov. John Engler's spokesperson, said the governor strongly supports term limits, but still believes it will be difficult to replace such a large number of experienced legislators.
"We're entering the great unknown," Truscott said. "No one really knows what the impact (of term limits) will be but we're optimistic that after a brief period of intense training we'll develop an aggressive agenda for (Engler's) third term."
Schroer said the advent of limits, which allow for no more
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