Local elections year change?

Daily Point

Next life for “even-years” election bill

A bill that could favor Democratic Party candidates in future town, village and county elections still looks viable less than three weeks before the legislative session in Albany is due to adjourn.

The measure would require local elections outside of New York City to be held in even-numbered years. Similar bills failed to gain traction in each of the last five sessions. But this year the Assembly’s majority Democrats have internally discussed the bill, and if that house acts, sources tell The Point, the Senate will likely follow suit.

Turnout is higher in those even years — which always feature state and federal legislative races and a presidential race every four years. Backers of the bill say overall turnout would benefit. Based on experience, Democrats in a blue state expect better election results when turnout is high.

“It’s a power grab by the party that perceives a competitive advantage,” said a seasoned partisan Republican from the region. “But the winds can change. Remember that [Rep.] George Santos was elected in an even-numbered year.”

The nonpartisan New York State Association of Counties opposes the measure. “This is a solution looking for a problem,” Mark LaVigne, deputy director of the New York State Association of Counties, said Friday. “No one has asked for this legislation at a local level. We’re not sure where it came from or what is motivating it.”

Lavigne cited a “vociferous reaction from local officials” who fear that when their races are folded into national and state ballots, the various community issues that ordinarily shape them would be drowned out by state and federal party messaging. Other bills sought by the counties before the lawmakers wrap up include the required extension of county sales taxes, legislation dealing with property foreclosures, and relief of recycling costs.

On its own, the “even-years” proposal is of a kind some lobbyists relate to Rasputin — the legendary Russian mystic who was believed to have nine lives and had a way of showing up after he was believed dead.

— Dan Janison @Danjanison

Pencil Point

Earth to McCarthy

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Quick Points

• The percentage of Nassau County homeowners winning assessment valuation cases is rising again, nearly reaching levels before former County Executive Laura Curran’s administration did a countywide reassessment to restore fairness to the roll. Now that the roll has been frozen for the last three years, surely no one is surprised that more homeowners are filing more cases and winning.
• Officials are planning to double shark monitoring this year at Long Island beaches, which should help reduce the number of biting incidents. But more eyes means more sightings which means more bathers out of the water more often. Just keepin’ it real.
• New York City Mayor Eric Adams says the city has 42,000 migrants in its care which will cost the city $4 billion by next year. That’s almost $100,000 per migrant, nearly $400,000 for a family of four. It’d be cheaper for the city to give the migrants cash to cover the cost of living for the year and let them figure it out.
• Suffolk Republicans are looking to hire an attorney to investigate whether the county can block migrants from coming to Suffolk, a plan legislative presiding officer Kevin McCaffrey says is not “anti-immigrant” but meant to protect county finances and resources — employing an always-useful political device: Euphemism.
• Seven candidates have filed papers to challenge Rep. George Santos in 2024 — which is at least equal to the number of false identities Santos has assumed.

— Michael Dobie @mwdobie
 

This newsletter has been updated since The Point was emailed to subscribers.