By Julia Katz
Cover credit – Suffolk County Legislature
In a show of unanimous bipartisan support, Suffolk County Legislators came together Friday for the signing of the Term Limit Preservation Act, aimed at restoring stability following New York State’s controversial decision to change local elections from odd-numbered to even-numbered years.
The law, signed by County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) at the William H. Rogers Building in Hauppauge, positions a referendum for the November ballot that would extend the term length for county legislators from two years to four, while preserving the existing twelve-year term limit.
The move is designed to avoid a costly and chaotic series of special elections that the current State-passed even-year elections law would spark. The law, passed by Albany Democrats in both chambers of the State Legislature and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul (D), aligns odd-numbered year elections – often those including local elections – with even-year elections – those that play host to presidential and midterm cycles.
Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) explained the practical necessity of this legislation.
“If we were forced to run in even-numbered years, it would have created a situation where Legislators would have to, in the middle of their term, resign and have to have a special election,” said McCaffrey. “That would have created havoc, uncertainty, and chaos in our election process.”
The purpose of the ballot measure led by the Legislature prevents Legislators from running in three elections in four years.
McCaffrey noted that the twelve-year term limit law, first enacted in 1993 and reinforced in 2023, will be upheld. The new legislation simply aligns Suffolk County’s election cycle with the updated state law without sacrificing stability or cost efficiency.
Executive Romaine called the bill a strong example of local government working on behalf of its residents but reminded attendees that the ultimate decision rests with the voters.
“This legislation provides for a referendum,” Romaine said. “The voters this November have to vote on this… If you think that less politics and more government is a good thing, you want to vote for this.”
In a continued show of bipartisan effort, caucus leaders from the Suffolk County Legislature shared their distinct viewpoints on the bill.
Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) framed the bill as a continuation of past reform efforts his caucus has long supported.
“Legislator Sam Gonzalez (D-Brentwood) actually introduced this a number of years ago,” Richberg told The Messenger. “We were in favor of it then. I’m happy to see the Majority caucus has joined on board.”
Richberg noted the governance benefits of four-year terms, particularly in allowing Legislators to focus more on community issues and less on continuous campaigning.
“It gives us all the ability to focus on our communities, work together, and again, get politics out of government,” he said. “You have folks who get elected and then they go right back into campaign mode.”
While Majority Leader Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) echoed the goal of reducing constant campaigning and improving service to constituents, he approached this bill with more profound criticism aimed at Albany.
“Let’s call this what it is. This is retribution by Albany and the governor,” Caracappa said. “She [Hochul] did not like the results of the election the last time she ran [2022]. She thinks that by aligning local elections with state and federal elections, she will have more support.”
As Caracappa spoke in favor of the bill, he also framed it as a constructive way to push back against what he perceives as an overreach of political power.
“This whole bill is designed to do just that, keep us working for our residents rather than working on getting elected and re-elected,” he said. “We are going to counter that to provide better government for our constituents and the kind of representation they deserve. We’re going to take politics out of this, take back the power, and put it back in Suffolk County.”
One of the main drivers behind the bill is financial. Officials estimate the referendum could save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars by reducing the frequency of elections.
“It costs taxpayers millions of dollars to have these elections,” Caracappa said. “Three elections in five years is really out of line.”
Romaine, McCaffrey, Cara-cappa, and Richberg were joined by Legislators Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead), Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches), Dominick Thorne (R-Patchogue), Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville), Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset), and Rebecca Sanin (D-Huntington Station).
Now that the bill is signed, Suffolk County voters will head to the polls in November to decide whether the Term Limit Preservation Act becomes law. If approved, Legislators will begin serving four-year terms, though their total time in office will still be capped at twelve years each. For now, both caucuses appear united in urging residents to support the measure.
“This is a bill that tells the people of Suffolk, we trust you,” Romaine said. “This is what we think should happen, but you are the final decider.”
