Photos by Joanne Altritt. Filing the Term Limits Petition, Phil Zisman, Yonkers Voters for Term Limits (former Yonkers Inspector General), right, Anthony Merante, Yonkers Council Member, District 6, and republican candidate for Mayor.
Below: Accepting the Petition, Vincent Spano, Yonkers City Clerk, Matthew Gallagher, Yonkers Corporation Counsel
On July 10, a non-partisan alliance of voters from Yonkers delivered a petition containing more than 5,000 signatures to the Yonkers City Clerk to put the issue of term limits on the ballot in November’s general election.
Phil Zisman, Yonkers Voters for Term Limits and former Yonkers Inspector General, and Mayoral candidate, Councilman Anthony Merante, submitted the petitions at the Yonkers City Clerks office.
The petition asks voters to approve a change in the term limits law allowing the Mayor and Councilmembers to serve a maximum of three, four-year terms. Last November, the City Council voted to extend term limits from three term to four terms. This referendum will ask the voters if they wish to return the number of allowable terms back to three.
If the signatures are deemed valid by the City Clerk, the matter goes to the Yonkers City Council. The Council will then vote to accept the petition and allow the question to be placed on the ballot November 7, or reject the petition. If the petition is rejected, Yonkers Voters for Term Limits must go out and collect another 2,500 valid signatures.
If passed, the referendum will not affect candidates running for reelection in November.