Hilton Head Island residents and one of their resident legislators came face to face with the reality of term limits last week. Though not mandatory, Rep. JoAnne Gilham, R-Hilton Head, will live up to her pledge not to seek office after her third, two-year term.

As the lawmaker and Hilton Head Islanders now understand, term limits are a poor substitute for thinking voters who can keep an effective lawmaker in office or send the ineffective person packing.

Many share her disappointment of having to leave office. Islanders have called upon her to move forward with re-election anyway. Fortunately, she has chosen to honor her commitment and that is not only honorable but commendable. Honesty should be a key character trait of all public officials.

Gilham, who is completing her sixth legislative session, says she now understands that she was naive to have signed the pledge. She shouldn't have been. Plenty of supporting material was available to tell her that experience, hard work and honesty are the ingredients that makes lawmakers effective.

Experience enables a lawmaker to understand the issues and use keen judgment to understand the individuals that comprise the S.C. legislature. Among the cacophony of ideas and issues, and the seeming multitude of intractable foes, a skilled legislator can find areas of compromise. That's what makes them effective.

The nation's founders had a pretty good idea when they wrote into the U.S. Constitution the limits of service. Those ideas were emulated in state constitutions. The idea that a citizen-lawmaker would serve and seek re-election by the people whom they serve has been sound for more than 200 years. Voters return those who are effective.

Gilham and others have only to look at the record of the late Strom Thurmond, who was the nation's oldest serving senator until his retirement in January 2003, or Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., who is retiring after this term, for examples of longtime service.

Gilham was in good company when she signed the pledge. Gov. Mark Sanford made a pledge to serve six years in the Congress, as did Rep. Bob Inglis, who served the state Fourth Congressional District.

Many want to eradicate what political scientists call the "political class." They seem to confuse the political class with the rotten eggs that inhabit every legislature across this country. Astute voters will remove the bad eggs and retain effective legislators. Term limit removes both from office.

Legislatures across this land need trust-building relationships among members of like parties, and opposite parties as well.

It's unfortunate for those constituents who want her to stay that Gilham took the pledge. But it's fortunate for the constituents and a credit to her that she is keeping the pledge. It's a matter of principle.