Southampton Village voters keep elected officials' terms at 2 years, reject 4-year option

Southampton Village voters have rejected a proposal to extend elected officials’ terms from two years to four, preserving a system in place for more than a century and signaling a preference for more frequent trips to the ballot box.

The referendum, held on Friday during the annual village election, failed by a vote of 623-367, ending a monthslong debate that divided the village board.

The board voted 3-2 earlier this year to put the question before voters. Under the current system, village elections are staggered annually, with two trustees elected one year and two trustees and the mayor elected the next. The proposed change would have maintained staggered elections but shifted terms to four years, beginning with a phased rollout in 2028.

Mayor Bill Manger Jr. and trustees Len Zinnanti and Roy Stevenson supported the measure, arguing longer terms would reduce the frequency of campaign cycles and align Southampton with other Long Island municipalities, including neighboring East Hampton Village.

“The people said, ‘No, we really like it at two years,’ so obviously we’re sticking with the status quo,” Manger said in an interview. He added that residents appear to value having more frequent opportunities to weigh in on village leadership.

Manger had argued the change could ease what he described as near-constant campaigning and allow elected officials more time to carry out long-term projects. A village planning commission analysis, presented earlier this year, said four-year terms could improve continuity and reduce election costs.

But trustee Ed Simioni, who voted against holding the referendum with trustee Rob Coburn, said residents ultimately rejected those arguments. Simioni, who was reelected Friday, said in an interview that his conversations with roughly 250 voters while canvassing showed widespread opposition.

“Just about everybody I spoke to agreed with me that the two-year term was the way to go,” Simioni said.

He said shorter terms keep officials closely connected to voters.

“It’s a question of accountability of having trustees that are close to the people that have to, every two years, go out and show them what they represent,” he said.

Simioni also warned that longer terms could limit voters’ ability to respond if an elected official underperforms.

“You also may end up with somebody that you thought was going to be doing a good job and then turns out they're not doing a good job, but you’re stuck with them for four years,” he said.

The failed referendum also effectively ends, for now, discussions about imposing term limits for the mayor and trustees, which had been considered alongside the four-year proposal. Village trustees held a public hearing recently to establish a limit of no more than eight years, which drew several public supporters.

Both Manger and Simioni said limits were tied to longer terms and are now unnecessary.