Suffolk term-length fight has a new focus
The Suffolk County Legislature holds a general meeting at the William J. Lindsay County Complex in Hauppauge in May. Credit: Morgan Campbell
On Nov. 4, Suffolk voters will decide whether to start electing their county legislators to terms of four years rather than the current two years.
Such a change was defeated at the polls in 2020 by a lopsided margin of 70% to 30% after Democrats, then in the county executive’s office and the legislative majority, put it on the ballot. And a similar proposal in Democratic-dominated Westchester was voted down just last November.
Now, County Executive Ed Romaine and Legis. Kevin McCaffrey, both Republicans, have acted to put four-year terms on the ballot again in November. There's a new rationale for doing so. McCaffrey and others are selling it as a way to blunt the meddlesome impact of a new state law that for the first time mandates most county and town elections be held in even-numbered years.
The details merit a little explanation.
Under the current election calendar, legislative candidates face election in November. It will be the last time they run in a regular election an odd-numbered year. For this year only, they’d be seeking a one-year term. The next contest will be in 2026, commencing the new even-year cycle.
That means all 18 of Suffolk's legislative seats come open this year, next year, and in 2028, which makes three times in four years.
If voters approve the November referendum, those elected would still initially serve an abbreviated term — but of three years, not one. That's a big practical difference. This year's winners wouldn't face reelection until 2028.
Whose career in the legislature would the proposed change help or hurt? That’s still to be seen. It happens against a unique backdrop. This is a period of open procedural warfare on different fronts between Democrats and Republicans across the states — on gerrymandering, voter eligibility, and mail-in voting.
When Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the even-year bill in 2023, the Democratic Party unabashedly hailed it as helping the party's turnout problems. It meant county and town elections would coincide with federal and state contests, when turnout is highest.
In this blue state, the political goal was to maximize the number of Democrats voting in what would become “down ballot” local races. This “even year election law” was challenged unsuccessfully in court by Republicans. Its partisan impact will soon be tested.
Legitimate disagreements arise over the length of legislative terms. Former Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat-turned Republican, says in a recent published commentary, “It’s always been the rule that the two-year term keeps them closer to the people. We want legislators to fear backlash from the public if they ignore the public will.”
Last year, on the other hand, the League of Women Voters supported Westchester’s unsuccessful four-year-term proposal, saying among other things that it would save public money on administering elections and let incumbents focus more on their jobs than on fundraising and the next campaign.
Disputes over the size and shape of the playing field in politics are all the rage in legislative bodies nationwide. The fights have little to do with good government and everything to do with partisan advantage.
On the positive side, ballot proposals such as these are an exercise in direct democracy: They let voters make decisions outside the domain of major-party representation. Voters have nothing to gain by ignoring them — even if they’re buried far down the ballot. Fallout from this one will be worth watching, if only as potential pushback against the "even year" law.
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
