Laura Incalcaterra

lincalca@lohud.com

Clarkstown could set 8-year term limits for elected town offcials

Judges would be exempt

Pubic hearing is Sept. 9

Term limits are close to being approved in Clarkstown, potentially the first town in Rockland County to enact such a cap.

The Town Board wants to hear comments on the matter during a Sept. 9 public hearing, but three members — enough for passage — said they already back the limits, including Democratic Councilwoman Stephanie Hausner.

"I imagine that it will pass unanimously," Hausner said.

With the exception of town justices, the proposal limits elected town officials to eight consecutive years in the same office. It would apply to any town official elected in a regular election after Jan. 1. The person could run for a different elected town office after reaching the eight-year limit.

Hausner says tremendous public support for such a limit played a role in her decision.

"I think it brings new people into office and opens up opportunities so that we can have a diversity of opinion on the Town Board," Hausner said.

Republican Councilman George Hoehmann also said the measure would pass.

"I do understand as now a two-term incumbent councilman, like any incumbent, that I have a distinct advantage over any challenger," Hoehmann said. "Term limits are a way of insuring that periodically, the people have the playing field leveled with a guarantee of turnover."

Democratic town Supervisor Alexander Gromack put the legislation forward, despite saying earlier that elections themselves serve as term limits.

"There's a feeling by many in the public that term limits could be a positive thing," Gromack said. "Even though we'll still have that (election) process, certainly, if we go to term limits, there'll be a time limit."

He said he also wanted to encourage more people to get involved in the election process.

Term limits have been a hot issue in the town and around the nation.

In 2011, the Clarkstown Taxpayers citizens group collected petitions to force a referendum. The effort fizzled because only local governments can adopt such rules, according to the Association of Towns of the State of New York.

Meanwhile, while still a county legislator in 2011, Ed Day, now Rockland's county executive, unsuccessfully introduced a bill to cap the number of legislative terms to three four-year terms, or a total of 12 years.

An effort this year included a proposal to ban any county worker, including elected officials, from also holding another government job, elective or not.

There have been other successive term limit efforts, including in 2013, when Putnam County limited legislative terms to no more than four three-terms, or a total of 12 years.

In 2010, the Westchester County legislature limited the amount of time members can serve to six terms or 12 years.

Twitter: @LauraInc15

Term limits

The public hearing on enacting term limits is at 8 p.m. Sept. 9 at Town Hall, 10 Maple Ave. in New City.