Brightwaters opens up discussion on possible term limits for elected officials

The Brightwaters Village Board is mulling term limits for elected positions and invited public input on the issue at its recent November board meeting.

"I wanted to hear your comments. This way I'm letting you have a voice before I draft a resolution," Mayor Joe McDermott said at the Nov. 2 meeting.

The mayor and board members have two-year terms. But the term limit issue has been periodically debated by residents and the village board since he was first elected as a trustee more than two years ago, McDermott later noted.

At the meeting, some residents in favor of term limits had ideas for how long the terms should be. "I think it should be as mayor and trustee combined, and I would even go as far to say . . . ten years, and I would like it to be retroactive," said resident Joan Manahan.

Resident Carmine Chiappetta said term limits may also help make elections more fair for newcomer candidates.

"Our trustees have the ability to communicate throughout the village," Chiappetta said, and added, "somebody who's in office already has a huge advantage by being there."

Those opposed to the idea said elections themselves are natural term limits. "I think an election is a term-limiting device," said resident David Gauntlet.

"The basis of our democracy is the voter knowing who they want to serve them," said resident Robert Fischer, adding, "I can't imagine insulting your voters more than putting in term limits."

Manahan also asked what research the village board has done into term limits at other municipalities. "Have you come up with some idea of what you have out there? Did you look at other villages?" she asked.

McDermott said in his review of other villages, those that have term limits typically limit officials to three or four terms of two years each.

After the meeting, McDermott said that further discussion with the village trustees is necessary before a resolution can be drafted.

"It's the people's village and when I became elected mayor, I said I would listen to them before we draft resolutions," he said.

"Instead of us drafting a resolution and putting it out there for public comment, I wanted to listen to people and get their ideas first," he said. "When it comes to term limits I just thought it was a way to open up as a transparency thing."