Term limits will be on the ballot when Onondaga County voters go to the polls in November, after county lawmakers voted unanimously Friday to put a decision on the issue in the public’s hands.
The referendum will make two changes from the way things stand now. First, terms for legislature members will go from two to four years. Second, they would be limited to running no more than three consecutive terms, or 12 years.
Legislature Chairman Tim Burtis said it’s been 40 years since there’s been any change like this, and keeping it simple made the difference.
“It's been tried to be brought forward to the floor several times over that 40 years, and possibly it wasn't correct with how many people they were trying to get on and get after,” said Burtis. “But that's why it was just legislators. It was a heavy enough lift just working on legislators."
Democrats and Republicans negotiated the final package, agreeing on the 12-year term limit.
“There was negotiation with the other side about how long and we agreed on three consecutive terms and we were happy with that and so it's big, and it's moved on to the voters next,” said Burtis.
Democratic floor leader Nodesia Hernandez believes it's important that everyone was on the same page on this.
“I think the bipartisan part is just making our community know that we both agree that having two-year terms isn't enough to benefit them as a whole, no matter what side,” said Hernandez.
Republican Julie Abbott agreed that the change will make things better for lawmakers, because they won't have to spend half their term raising money and running a political campaign.
“Don't let anybody fool you. It takes away from the time that you're able to put into initiatives you're working on,” Abbott said.
If approved in November, the new legislative configuration would go into effect during the 2026 elections. That’s also the first year legislators will be running in an even year, following a state law aligning local elections with state and national contests.
