We discuss the role of term limits in electoral systems by observing that elected officials may form a `political chain' by which the position subject to the term limit provision is handed over to a peer member of the same party. The theoretical model allows for political chains and for the transmission of political expertise among parties' members. Using a panel of 1,203 Italian municipalities, from 1998 to 2006, we find a significant `expertise' effect, by which first-term mayors, who already served as officials in the previous term, behave more efficiently than first-term mayors without any previous experience. We find no evidence of peculiar spending patterns by politicians at their last term of office.