AUGUSTA — Leaders of the Maine Chapter of Americans to Limit Congressional Terms say they will seek a change in state election law to limit the term of office for congressmen to 12 years.

“We believe people are fed up with lifetime politicians that no longer represent them, that are more concerned with what happens in Washington, not what happens in Maine,” said Sharon Bouchard, co-director of the group. “We know there is opposition in the Legislature, because some of them have been there too long, but we will push for a change in state law.”

Jim Putnam, co-director of the group, said ALCT will consider gathering signatures and initiating legislation if the Legislature does not pass legislation limiting terms. He hopes the new legislature elected this fall will be more supportive of the proposal.

“If we can’t get the proposal through, then we will probably have to go the petition route,” he said. “We really believe in this issue and we plan to carry through.”

Bouchard said the group has already received a lot of mail as a result of its questioning the state’s congressional delegation on where members stand on a federal law change. She said term limits are not an issue politicians want to discuss, although the public strongly supports limits.

Putnam said limiting terms would reduce the power of the congressional bureaucracy and restore power to the voters.

“They have stacked the system against challengers and that kind of gets me going,” he said.

Bouchard said she is a liberal Democrat and Putnam is a conservative Republican, but she said they both strongly agree on the need to limit the terms of members of Congress.

ALCT recently endorsed Rep. Patrick McGowan, D-Canaan, the Democratic nominee in the 2nd Congressional District, over six-term incumbent Olympia Snowe because of her opposition to term limits. Bouchard said Snowe has switched positions on the issue, a charge Snowe denies.

“I do not think limits are a good idea,” Snowe said, “and in the article they quote from 1978, I said I thought it was an interesting idea that deserved to be considered. I did not embrace the idea.”

McGowan has jumped on the endorsement and continued his criticism of Snowe on the issue. He said he believes Snowe has “flip-flopped” on the issue, despite her assertions to the contrary.

“I absolutely believe in limits,” he said, “and I will believe in limits 12 years from now as well. I think that members of the House of Representatives, in particular, need to have limits in their terms, they are by design supposed to be closest to the people.”