Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine signs off on longer terms for lawmakers — now voters get to decide

Suffolk lawmakers could soon serve twice as long — from two to four years — under a new measure signed Friday by County Executive Ed Romaine.

But voters will still need to approve the term-limit change on the November ballot.

The “Term Limit Preservation Act” will ask voters on Nov. 4 whether they support doubling the term length for county legislators, while still capping their total time in office at 12 years.

Romaine signed the bill to place the measure on the ballot in Hauppauge, framing the move as a way to give residents more control over how local government functions due to a new controversial state law dictating election schedules.

“This is an opportunity,” Romaine said.

“If you think that less politics and more government is a good thing, then this is something to support.”

The proposal, first passed by the legislature in early July, stems from a 2023 state law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul that moves all local elections in New York to even-numbered years to coincide with state and federal races — which Hochul said would reduce voter fatigue and save taxpayer dollars.

But Long Island politicians, especially Republicans, say they’re worried about important local issues being drowned out by the national noise, and argue the shift has created confusion and could wreak havoc on the county’s election calendar.

“If the elections stay in even years, I am concerned that local issues will get lost in the shuffle of national and state politics,” Romaine told reporters. 

He said this amendment would allow legislators to spend less time campaigning and more time doing the work of local government, as they would essentially win in November and have to start immediately campaigning again due to the changes. 

If the ballot measure passes, current lawmakers would be allowed to serve out their final term if it goes beyond the 12 year maximum — a move politicians claimed was to avoid the “chaos” of midterm resignations.

Although lawmakers used the shift in election years as justification to beef up the length they could serve without campaigning, Suffolk recently pushed to stretch lawmakers’ terms from two to four years in 2020.

More than 70% of voters voted against the measure on ballots.

Westchester County’s Board of Legislators similarly tried to extend term limits in 2024, with voters promptly voting against the measure.