Onondaga County legislators appear ready to carry out their part of the term limit legislation agreement at their upcoming meeting. A judge last week forced all parties to start over with a new local law instead of the previously passed measure that sparked weeks of messy debate. At Tuesday’s session lawmakers are expected to approve the measure with two choices: A 12-year limit for the offices of county executive and comptroller, or a 16-year limit. Chairwoman Nicole Watts told lawmakers then it’s the county executive’s turn.
“He has agreed to sign it into law by September 9th, including the public hearing and so forth," she told the Ways and Means committee Tuesday. "The agreement also exists with the Board of Elections that they will both do their dual duties to sign to put it on the ballot. All of those parties have their agreed upon responsibilities to follow. So at any point, any one of those parties does not do that, then we're back at ground zero.”
Republican floor leader Brian May said it’s the practice of his caucus to respect other branches of government. But he blamed Democrats for mishandling the term limits measure from the beginning.
"That which was agreed upon by everyone, including the court, is something that we're going to respect," he said in an interview with WAER News. “How we got here? Don't love it. What we're doing? Don't love that either. But the process has spoken. We can live with that.”
May said the ultimate referendum should be elections, not term limit legislation. But he also acknowledged a majority Onondaga County voters favor the measure that is likely to be on their ballots in a little over two months.
Whichever proposal receives more than 50 percent of the vote becomes law.
It would take effect starting January 1, 2031 and is not retroactive to the current officeholders.
