Vote yes in Brookhaven on term limits, longer terms

In addition to voting for federal, state and local candidates on Election Day, Brookhaven Town residents will be asked to weigh in on an enduring issue that reflects the frustration many people have with the responsiveness of government at every level:

Should elected officials be subject to term limits?

Proposal One in Brookhaven would do two things: Limit all elected officials in the town to three terms, while extending the terms for supervisor, town council members and highway superintendent to four years. Currently, they are elected every two years. The clerk and receiver of taxes already serve four-year terms, and council members are already limited to 12 years.

Term limits ensure that no official accumulates too much power. Fresh blood brings new ideas to deal with new problems, as well as the old ones that haven’t been solved. Twelve years is an appropriate limit.

The biggest argument made against the second part of the proposal, to extend a term from two years to four, is that it will lead to more corruption. Elections are an important part of the system of checks and balances. In theory, that sounds good; accountability is always desirable. In reality, the argument doesn’t hold water. Just look at the State Legislature in Albany add the parade of lawmakers over the last few years alone hauled into court on corruption charges despite their two-year terms.

Brookhaven, the second-most populous town on Long Island, can set an example for the rest of a region where most officials are not subject to term limits. The two actions in the proposition cannot be split; voters must vote either yes on both or no on both. While it might have been best to have separate votes on the two, the chance to put term limits in place outweighs any concerns about the length of those terms.

Newsday recommends you vote yes on Proposal One.

— The editorial board