Now that House Speaker Jim Black's grip on one of the most powerful positions in state government has been broken, some candidates for the job are suggesting a change that could dramatically reduce its reach.

Most of the announced candidates for speaker say they support term limits for the job, with many suggesting two two-year terms. Black served four terms and sought a record fifth before dropping out last week. Many who hope to succeed him say term limits would give more lawmakers the opportunity to grow into leadership positions and might curb the abuse of power.

"We have a lot of very capable people in the House of Representatives, and as they grow they need bigger and better jobs," said Rep. Hugh Holliman, a Lexington Democrat who is seeking the position. "I think we have a lot people who are very capable of being speaker, and I just don't think it should be an eight- to 10-year job."

None of the seven announced candidates say they are opposed to term limits, but not all are as sold on the idea as Holliman is. House Majority Leader Joe Hackney of Orange County, for example, said he would consider term limits only if they also applied to Senate leaders. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, has remained Senate leader for an unmatched 14 years, and Senate Democrats nominated him Monday for another two years in the post.

"In concept, it's a good thing," Hackney said. "I think to have it in one house and not the other is probably unfair to the chamber that does have it."

Only one candidate openly points to Black's leadership in making the case for term limits.

"Turning the speakership into a position of loyalty has not been good for us, and I think that's what's happened under the Jim Black regime," said Rep. Bill Faison, an Orange County Democrat.

Black's hold on the job for the past eight years has drummed up support for leadership term limits from public interest groups. They say the speaker and the Senate president pro tem positions have become so powerful that special interest groups expend much of their energy and campaign money on influencing those two leaders.

Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, and Basnight have raised campaign war chests of $1 million or more -- far more than any other state lawmaker. Basnight and Black typically targeted much of that money at key legislative races to help increase the number of Democrats in their respective chambers.

"The longer they are in those positions, the more they can squeeze special interests for campaign cash, and it does create a climate where those in their party have to be more dependent on that money -- and that's not healthy," said Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina.

Going over his head?

Other ideas being kicked around among speaker candidates and other House members include an end to "floaters" -- House members loyal to the speaker who can serve on any committee at the speaker's request to influence votes -- and the creation of a committee of House leaders that could override the speaker and move legislation to the House floor for a vote. Currently, the speaker has the power to prevent any bill from reaching the floor.

Few states place term limits on legislative leadership positions, said Brenda Erickson, a senior research analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures. But she also said that only a few states have legislative leaders who have held their positions for more than a few terms.

That's because 15 states have term limits for lawmakers, while others have seen control shift between Democrats and Republicans. In other cases, legislative leaders use the position to leap into more powerful positions -- the governor's office or Congress.

Power of tradition

Erickson said those states that place term limits on leadership positions do so out of tradition, not by statute. She said a House speaker in Wyoming, for example, tried to break with that tradition, found himself blackballed by his colleagues, and decided not to seek re-election.

North Carolina had a similar tradition until the 1970s, when voters agreed to end the one-term limit for governors. The change increased the governor's power, and legislative leaders began running for multiple terms to match it.

House Democrats are caucusing this week to begin the process of selecting a new speaker. On Wednesday, they will talk about what should be their agenda for the 2007 session. They expect to hold the speaker election early next month.