“This proposal enjoys true-partisan support – tripartisan if you consider that I am a proud member of the Conservative party. We all believe that this proposal will not only improve the efficiency of our government but will also enhance the quality of representation our constituents deserve.
County Legislator Margaret Cunzio
SIMPLE TRUTH 1: Two-year terms keep politicians more accountable and in line with what their constituents want. PERIOD. SIMPLE TRUTH 2: Prop Two does not benefit the citizen-taxpayers, it benefits politicians.
-Debbie Kozak, Yonkers
County Legislators Unanimous in Tri-Partisan Support to Extend Terms from 2 years to 4 years
Former BOL candidate from Yonkers says Vote No
By Dan Murphy
Another important ballot proposition on the ballot in Westchester County on Nov. 5 would extend the term of county legislators from 2 years to 4 years. County legislators currently serve 2 year terms, and there are mixed opinions on whether the extension is a good or a bad idea.
First is the surprise that this reporter had when I realized that the item would be on the ballot on Nov. 5 and I had not heard nor read anything about it until a Sept. 26 release from the BOL, which read,
“In a collaborative and bipartisan effort, the Westchester County Board of Legislators is proposing an amendment to Chapter 107 of the Laws of Westchester County, known as Westchester County Proposition No. 2024-1, that will extend the terms of County Legislators from two to four years, while keeping existing term limits in place. This change would allow legislators to concentrate more fully on the needs of their constituents, focus on policy proposals rather than constant campaigning, reduce the cost of administering elections, and align with the standard set by a majority of New York State county legislative bodies, which already have four-year terms.
“Chairman Vedat Gashi (D-New Castle, Ossining, Somers, Yorktown) said, “By extending the length of Legislators’ terms, we’re saving taxpayer dollars by allowing us to hold fewer elections and creating a more effective and efficient system to serve the needs of today’s voters so that Legislators can focus on the work they were elected to do, rather than constantly campaigning. I’ve spoken to voters throughout the County from Yorktown to Yonkers, and they’ve all told me the same thing – they want us to focus on policy, not politics – and this proposal allows us to do that.”
Key Benefits of Four-Year Terms
- Cost Savings for Taxpayers:
Elections can be costly — for both candidates and taxpayers. And the cost of elections continues to increase. This proposal is expected to significantly reduce the financial burden of administering elections, allowing public funds to be redirected to essential services.
- Reduced Campaigning:
A four-year term will enable Legislators to spend less time fundraising and campaigning, resulting in fewer campaign mailings, campaign phone calls, and other messaging to residents. This shift will allow Legislators to dedicate more time to legislative work and community engagement.
- Delivering Results:
A single legislative proposal can take several months or even years to develop. A four-year term will enable County Legislators to oversee the implementation of their enacted policies. It would also help ensure that County funds secured for a specific project are used in a timely fashion and for their intended purpose, allowing for more thoughtful and impactful legislation.
- Expertise and Experience:
Legislative issues are often intricate and multifaceted. A four-year term gives Legislators the time to develop the expertise required to address these challenges effectively.
- If Proposition 2 does not pass, Legislators will run for office in 2025, 2026, and 2028 (due to the new state election schedule). If Proposition 2 does pass, Legislators will run in 2025 and then again in 2028 (due to the new state election schedule).
As part of this proposal, a mandatory referendum is required to allow Westchester voters to approve this change.
Co-sponsor of this proposal, Minority Legislator Margaret Cunzio (C -North Castle, Mount Pleasant, Sleepy Hollow, Harrison) said, “This proposal enjoys true-partisan support – tripartisan if you consider that I am a proud member of the Conservative party. We all believe that this proposal will not only improve the efficiency of our government but will also enhance the quality of representation our constituents deserve. We will still have our term limits in place and this does not change that. We encourage voters to approve this initiative, which aims to enhance our efforts on the issues that matter most to our community.”
Co-sponsor Legislator Benjamin Boykin (D-White Plains, Scarsdale, West Harrison), who was recently elected as President of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), said, “Over 70% of the counties across New York State have already moved on to longer terms. It is a common-sense piece of legislation. By adopting this change, Westchester will align itself with surrounding counties and empower Legislators to address pressing community issues with the time and attention they deserve,” end of BOL statement.
Yonkers resident Debbie Kozak, who ran for County Board in District 16 last year, opposes the measure.
PROP TWO – Don’t Let Them Get Away with It: Vote NO!
With Westchesterites distracted by vacations and other activities these past few months our County Legislators managed to cook up and quietly push through a ‘tri-partisan’ plan to double their terms of office from two to four years.
Upon County Exec George Latimer’s signature that change to be known as Prop Two, sets up a second outrageous proposal on the Nov. 5 ballot that we citizen-taxpayers have neither asked for nor know very much about.
(The first was the even more obnoxious Prop One, or phony Equal Rights Amendment – to which we’ve already recommended voters deliver a resounding ‘HELL NO’ and therefore need not address here.)
“Should individuals serving in the position of Westchester County Legislator serve four-year terms instead of two-year terms?” is what Prop Two asks – to which the only logical answer must also be a resounding NO, and here are the reasons why:
The 17-member Board of Legislators maintains that changing term lengths will “substantially decrease taxpayer expenditures on election coordination and administration” and “redirect the funds towards critical priorities such as public safety, infrastructure investments and vital social services.”
Sounds great, right? But there’s little to no hard projectable evidence that any ‘savings’ to be had by changing 17 Legislators’ term lengths so they don’t have to run for office will affect such objectives in any measurable way.
As taxpayers we should expect a thoroughgoing cost-saving analysis to support any such high-minded assertions. None has been done, and it’s my belief that if one had, the result wouldn’t be nearly as positive as is claimed.
Furthermore, the County Board of Elections would and will, as always, remain open for business during election periods even if and as the Legislator’s terms were to be changed, as primary and general elections always have and always will take place year after year after year.
And it’s the County Executive, not the Legislators, who administers those funds. Using the description of critical priorities to describe such broad generalizations as “public safety, infrastructure investments and social services” is nothing more than yet another SILLY WORD SALAD to scare readers into thinking that if they vote against this proposal monies for such priorities will decrease.
Yes, as civil rights attorney Bobbie Ann Cox is wont to say, ‘They think we’re stupid.”
And yes, they really do. Never has a County Executive, nor a Legislature, to our knowledge, admitted publicly to any ‘under-funding’ of these or other ‘priorities.’
We know this because, dontcha know, they all campaign on how so wonderfully well they always manage to plan, pass and fund their annual budgets.
One claim is that fewer elections would afford voters ‘the power to concentrate (on issues) rather than election activities.’ Huh?
Another is that fewer election/longer terms will somehow “save on the cutting down of trees as paper for posters, palm cards and yard signs.”
Really, Legislators should get two additional years to save on campaign literature? Seriously, neither seems to be of credible benefit to taxpayers.
SIMPLE TRUTH 1: Two-year terms keep politicians more accountable and in line with what their constituents want. PERIOD.
Some additional FACTS the BOL hasn’t bothered to highlight:
Legislators are not limited to six two-year terms. They’re limited to six consecutive two-year terms. What does that mean? If, for example, a Legislator is elected to five two-year terms (10 years), and then takes a term (or multiple) off, and gets reelected— the six consecutive two-year term clock re-starts. No big deal? Wrong!
Once a Legislator works 10 years, he/she qualifies for a county pension, and each year their pension increases by a certain percentage. Their base salary is $75,000 plus they get additional monies for leadership positions and stipend(s) for being Chairmen of Special and Standing Committees, putting an annual part-time job salary at close to a respectable $90,000.
Legislators with other county and/or municipal jobs accrue larger pensions – all of which is paid out by the taxpayers as fringe benefits. In 2023 the WC budget for employee fringe benefits exploded from the previous year by $12 million (12.5%) to over $192 million.
SIMPLE TRUTH 2: Prop Two does not benefit the citizen-taxpayers, it benefits politicians. Were they truly interested in decreasing expenditures, they could propose doubling the size of their constituency, cutting their number by half, and/or limiting total service to eight years.
FINAL FACT: Elected officials work for taxpayers, not the other way around.
CONCLUSION: When you’ve finished voting for candidates for office on Nov. 5, flip the ballot over and cast a resounding NO vote to both Proposition One AND Proposition Two – because We’re Not Stupid.
OPINION by Debbie Kozak, President, John P. O’Leary NW Yonkers Republican Club and 2023 Republican Candidate Westchester County Legislator District 16 (Yonkers). For more info about the NWYR club go to www.Deb4Westchester.com
