County lawmakers must consider term limits, four-year terms

Legislator John Bargnesi wants to change that. He is proposing a local law that would double the term limits of county legislators to four years and limit all elected officials in Erie County to three terms.

Bargnesi pointed out Monday that 19 other New York counties, including Monroe and Onondaga, already have lawmakers serving four-year terms.

“Four-year terms allow elected officials to spend more time governing,” the Town of Tonawanda Democrat said. “The current two-year term for lawmakers creates a situation where we may end up spending half our time focusing on policy and running for office.”

The proposed law would require lawmakers to spend less time campaigning for elections, but would limit their time in the seat — as well as the time of the county comptroller, county executive, county clerk and sheriff, who already hold a four-year term – to a maximum of 12 years.

This follows a recommendation from the Citizens Salary Review Commission for significant raises for all elected officials, including an increase in county legislators’ salaries from $42,588 to $65,000, a 53 percent increase.

Bargnesi said he has been in favor of term limits since he was a member of the Tonawanda Town Board, when he ran with a slate of candidates all in favor of term limits for municipal officials.

In light of new state law that would move county legislative elections to even years starting in 2026, he said now is the time to further change county legislator term limits and term limits for all countywide elected positions.

“This is the perfect time to set the record straight,” he said.

Bargnesi said term limits would reduce the influence of special interest groups over long-serving leaders and bring in new leaders with a fresh approach to solving problems.

“By limiting the length of time an individual can hold a particular position, we can also encourage a greater sense of urgency and purpose among our elected officials,” he said. “Knowing that their mandate is limited, civil servants are more likely to focus on meaningful accomplishments.”

Bargnesi wants the local bill to be discussed next week in the government affairs committee he chairs.

The proposal would also require a public hearing, a vote, review by the county executive if adopted and, finally, a public vote in a referendum in the fall.

Bargnesi said he hoped the law could be passed before the August parliamentary recess, so it could be incorporated as a proposal on the fall ballot.

Even if such a law were passed, county officials would not immediately see 12-year term limits begin. Instead, it would begin with each elected official’s first full term — a process that will be delayed because of new state law requiring certain county positions to be up for election in even-numbered years.

This means the start of the 12-year term limit would begin:

• In 2026 for county legislators, who would begin their first four-year term, and the county clerk.

• In 2028 for county comptroller and prosecutor.

• In 2030 for the county executive.

Bargnesi said he has discussed his concepts of four-year terms and term limits with other Democratic lawmakers, but has not discussed them with his Republican colleagues or the county executive, Mark Poloncarz.

Bargnesi also said it would be hard to imagine anyone voting against the bill.

“This is fundamental good government,” he said. “I’m counting on this death.”

Bargnesi is among a handful of Democratic county lawmakers who have not fully committed to the Citizens’ Wage Review Commission’s proposed pay raises, which would increase each elected official’s salary by tens of thousands of dollars. However, he said that while discussions about raising salaries and discussions about extending and limiting terms are separate, he can see good arguments for both.

“I think the two together would make this job more attractive to new people,” he said.

The concept of a four-year term for county legislators has been discussed before, with many legislators agreeing that a two-year term is burdensome and too short to focus on policy. Although Bargnesi has not broached the subject with his Republican counterparts, a few Republican lawmakers contacted by The Buffalo News said they favor four-year terms and some sort of term limits.

Minority Leader John Mills, R-Orchard Park, said the learning curve for lawmakers can be steep, so two-year terms are not in the public’s best interest. Frank Todaro, R-Lancaster, also said he thinks the proposal is worth it and worth considering.