By Dan Murphy
Westchester County Executive George Latimer has proposed reducing the terms of office for County Executive from 12 years (3 terms) to 8 years (2 terms). At a press conference this week, Latimer said that the power of the executive, both in Washington DC, and in White Plains, needs to be controlled and after 8 years, a fresh supply of leaders can take over and serve in elected offices in Westchester County.
Latimer’s term limits reduction only apply’s to his office, the office of County Executive, and does not apply to members of the County Board of Legislators, who have a 12 year term limit, (6-two year terms) which remains as is.
“All of our local governments follow that Revolutionary Era philosophy; restricting the reach of government. I have been a student of government as well as a practitioner these many years, serving on three different levels: city, county and state. Now, as I complete my second year as County Executive, I see the authority granted this position – and I strongly believe it should be further limited to ensure a balance of interests are better served,” said Latimer.
A BOL committee report on the idea to reduce term limits for the County Exec. States, “[…] term limits prevent government officials from serving for more than a specified number of terms to bring fresh perspectives to government and ensure responsiveness to voter demands. […] Longtime office holders can often become more interested in serving their own reelection interests than serving the interests of the people they represent and challengers with new ideas are at an unfair advantage when running against incumbents with higher name recognition.
Your Committee believes that restricting the service of lawmakers through term limits prevents politicians from amassing too much power and removes the intense focus on politics and places it back on policy. Term limits encourage younger, minority and other aspirants to run for office as the hurdle to defeat a well-entrenched and senior incumbent is lowered. In addition, term limits result in greater voter turnout particularly in local elections if people feel there is a real race going on and their votes can count.
Your Committee believes that implementation of term limits keeps a steady, fresh supply of leaders to serve in elected offices. Many talented potential leaders will simply not run for a particular office because of the challenges and battles of running against an incumbent.”
While Latimer wants to limit the term County Executive, he proposes no change in legislative term limits, which currently allow a maximum of service of 12 years (six terms). The new term limit, if passed, would reduce Latimer’s ability to run for County Executive to one more additional 4-year term, in 2021.
“I have included my tenure as covered within the law. Oftentimes, incumbents are “grandfathered” in, meaning the restrictions apply to the next occupant of the seat. But, they will apply to me as well. Eight years is a period of time most common where Executive term limits apply, and I think it is a defensible change.”
It was almost a decade ago that Westchester County passed its term limits legislation, limiting both the legislature and county executive to 12 years each; 3-four year terms for the county executive and six-two year terms for county legislators.
Latimer referenced the fact the U.S. Presidents “Eisenhower, Clinton, Reagan, GW. Bush and Obama” who were all limited to two -four year terms. “It’s not about me – it’s about restraining the power of the Executive. Term limits was the backstop in Washington DC that limited President’s and will apply to Trump as well. The length of my tenure is up to the voters, but to limit the total years to eight makes good sense, and ensures the proper check and balance.”
Latimer’s initiative to limit future Westchester County Executive’s to 8 years is more about his belief that the County Executive has an inordinate level of power in comparison to the legislature. Latimer is seeking “a stronger check and balance on any Executive,”
What Westchester residents, voters and taxpayers have learned is that Latimer is interested in running for a second term as County Executive. “The voters will decide if my tenure extends beyond these four years (two of which have elapsed) or not, but a second term would be my last term,” wrote Latimer on Social Media, in a post that sounds like he is going to run for a second term in 2021.
“To my knowledge, no Exec has locally supported limitation of their own term. Unlike other term limit laws, I do not grandfather myself in. I will be subject to that limit as will all my successors, meaning I have chopped four years off my potential maximum service. This ensures faster turnover in the CE office,” posted Latimer.
Former County Executive Rob Astorino ran for a third term in 2017, losing to Latimer by 14 points.
If Latimer were to run, and win a second term as county executive in 2021, he would be 72 years old after his second term in 2025. After serving in government on the local, county and state level for more than 30 years, it is unlikely that Latimer would be interested in a third term as county executive.
While anything can change in politics over the next two years, at this point, all sings point to Latimer running for a second term, based on his ability to accomplish one issue after another, if not to the satisfaction of a shrinking republican opposition, then to his wide base of democrats, from older, moderate dems to indivisible and progressive democrats.
Another interesting tidbit about Latimer proposing reducing the years and terms for county executive is what recent term limits debate in Yonkers. Last year, the Yonkers City Council extended term limits for Mayor and Council from 8 to 12 years, and cited the county term limit law of 12 years as one reason for their change, to make both laws compatible.
