Legislature may decide on term limits

Measure would extend legislators’ terms from two years to four

Ulster County lawmakers could decide this week whether to ask voters to both increase the term of county legislators and limit the years most elected county officials could serve.

The county Legislature’s Laws and Rules Committee will take up the measure Monday. If passed there, the full legislature will consider the proposal Tuesday.

Legislator Joseph Maloney, ISaugerites, has proposed extending the terms of county legislators to four years, from the current two years, and capping the length of time the county executive, comptroller and legislators can serve at 12 years.

Maloney, who took office in January, has said term limits would prevent people from remaining in office simply to pad their pensions or to get health insurance and could result in the adoption of “meaningful things” that he said often get passed over because people are worried about being re-elected.

The proposal has received mixed reviews from some legislators and members of the public.

During a public hearing in March, most speakers supported the idea of term limits, saying that limiting the time an elected official serves would bring new people and new ideas to the office.

But while some said lengthening the term of office would give lawmakers a chance to “grow” in the position without having to worry about running for re-election right away, others, including Michael Catalinatto, who served on the Ulster County Charter Revision Commission in 2011, said two-year terms were intended to give voters a chance to remove quickly legislators who aren’t rep-

resenting their constituents.

Similarly, Legislator David Donaldson, D-Kingston, who is serving his 13th twoyear term, has called fouryear terms for county lawmakers “contrary to good

government” and said there was little need for term limits for county legislators, because lawmakers “don’t amass a lot of power” and can provide continuity in

government.

This is not the first time county legislators have been asked to consider both imposing term limits and extending the length of legislative terms. In 2011, 2014 and 2015, similar proposals were put before legislators, but, in each of those cases, the measures never made it to the floor of the legislature for consideration.

If Maloney’s proposal is adopted by legislators, the matter could go before voters for consideration in November.