Denton may be entering a new era of career politicians and expensive elections, but it’s unclear whether term limits are the answer to keeping races competitive, speakers said Thursday during a panel discussion.

This year’s mayoral race between Mark Burroughs and Perry McNeill, which shattered local spending records, signals that Denton may be moving into an age of professional politics, said Brian Collins, a public administration professor at the University of North Texas.

That means residents should reconsider whether the city’s 28-year-old term limits statute needs updating, said Dorothy Damico, another panelist.

“If we’re about to become professional politicians … then we have to make a determination what kind of a configuration will work under those circumstances,” said Damico, who served on a panel that helped draft the term limits provision voters approved in 1980. “And I don’t think we know.”

The panel discussion, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, focused on the pros and cons of term limits and whether they work as a check on entrenched power. Panelists generally agreed that limiting the length of government officials’ service is well intentioned but often creates more problems than it cures.

“Term limits are just a mess in terms of their actual implications,” said Collins, who added that research on state races shows term limits fail to achieve their aims of increased voter turnout, fewer “professional politicians” and less campaign spending.

Denton has been under pressure to clarify its term limits statute in light of a lawsuit challenging the city’s longtime practice of letting council members bypass the limit by switching seats or sitting out a term.

The lawsuit unsuccessfully sought to disqualify Burroughs, McNeill and Mayor Pro Tem Pete Kamp from the May 10 ballot for alleged term limit violations.

A district judge dismissed the case last month; three of the plaintiffs are appealing.

The city charter limits members to three consecutive two-year terms but does not clearly say whether the limit carries over to other seats. Burroughs, a former three-term council member who unseated McNeill in a June runoff election, is expected to call for the creation of a charter revision committee to consider changes to the term limits provision. Voters would ultimately have to approve any change.

City council terms in home-rule cities such as Denton can be between two and four years long. But no state law governs term limits for those cities, so it’s up to each one to decide how many terms to allow or whether to limit them at all.

The evening event at UNT drew about 20 spectators, and some seemed keener on term limits than the panelists.

When Collins warned that term limits “clearly eliminate competition,” one man wasn’t deterred.

“I think that’s OK,” he said.

The panel also included former council member Roni Beasley and Michael Whitten, a Denton lawyer who defended the city in the term limits case.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com .