MONTICELLO – The Sullivan County Legislature is far from endorsing any firm conclusions based on the Charter Revision Commission recommendations.
After a two-year study, the commission recommended, among other things, staggered terms for the county legislators. Historically, all nine have been on the ballot once every four years.
That’s not unlike other Hudson Valley counties, which elect their entire legislatures at various intervals, two years in Dutchess and Ulster, four years in Orange. Putnam, also with nine legislators elected to staggered three-year terms, with three seats up each year.
The current concern in Sullivan is opening the legislature to a “clean sweep.” In the past two elections, six of the nine seats did turn over.
The initial expectation was a five-four schedule. Five seats would be on the ballot in one election year; the other four two years later. Terms would be for four years.
In an informal show of hands, requested by County Attorney Cheryl McCausland during Thursday’s Executive Committee meeting, legislators seemed to like the idea of a four-year cycle with three seats on the ballot in years one, two and three, and no election in the fourth year. Terms would still be for four years.
McCausland said which districts would be on the ballot in each of the three election years would likely be determined, initially, by a random and blind method.
The enthusiasm level among legislators was not exceptionally high. Ira Steingart worried they may be jumping to quick conclusions on the Charter Commission recommendations.
“It’s going to make the appearance that the charter review committee that just gave their report, that we’re picking and choosing before we’re dealing with all the things that they presented,” Steingart said.
McCausland said talk about staggering the terms of the legislators predates the charter commission.
“We acted on it and we got it to you,” she said. “That was before the Charter Revision Commission released the full report; this is something this body has been interested in since almost since the beginning.”
The county attorney also noted changing the election schedule for the legislature would also impact four key appointed county positions.
“There’s the county attorney’s office. There’s the clerk of the legislature. There’s the head of veterans and there’s the county manager. Now our charter permits the legislature to offer a county manager by contract one year after the term, so that is the little asterisk in this conversation.”
One critic of the 3-3-3 idea is Charter Revision Commission member Ken Walter, who supports the 5-4 proposal. Walter said an election every two years is less complicated for voters.
McCausland emphasized this is only the beginning of the review. She said she has not yet considered the impact this might have on legislature reorganization, which currently happens every two years, at the start and midpoint of each four-year term.
Thursday’s discussion was informal. McCausland said she would draft a resolution, for the August meeting, to hold two public hearings in September, with a possible vote in October.
