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YONKERS, N.Y. A group of community activists set on extending term limits for city politicians says it has the support of thousands of Yonkers residents. And it has the signatures to prove it.
The Yonkers Committee for Term Limit Consistency says it has collected more than 6,900 signatures in support of allowing elected officials to run for third terms.
That is more than enough to put the proposal in front of the City Council for a vote in the fall. If approved, the proposal to extend the term limits from eight consecutive years to 12 could go to voters on the November ballot.
We thought it would be a good idea, committee member Gloria Fields said. This way, while there will still be a term limit, it will offer us an opportunity to have leaders who are more acquainted with the situation and how things operate.
Currently, elected officials are limited to two terms, or eight consecutive years in office. That limit was established after a 1994 referendum and upheld in 2001.
Supporters of an extension say giving elected officials a chance to seek four additional years in office would bring stability to Yonkers. Too often projects are delayed by a changing regime or slowed as new officials are brought up to speed, they said.
In the past, it has appeared to me that projects were somewhat stalled and we were not able to move development forward, committee member Robin Brumfield said.
In August the 12-person committee hit the streets, collecting signatures in front of supermarkets, knocking on doors and setting up at community events like Riverfest. Fields said she saw resounding support in the community for the longer term limits.
I didnt have any nos, she said. I think the idea of having a term limit yet providing a good bit of stability sounded good to people.
On Friday, the group handed its petition to the Yonkers city clerk, easily surpassing the 4,089 signatures needed to bring the proposal before the City Council.
Should the council vote not to put the referendum on the November ballot, an additional 2,000 signatures would have to be collected to force the proposal onto the ballot.
If voters approved the measure this year, City Council President Chuck Lesnick would be the immediate beneficiary. As the law stands now, Lesnick will be prevented from running for re-election in 2013 after serving eight years in office.
Brumfield stressed that the petition has been in the works for a long time and was not created to help any particular person stay in office.
I hope everyone understands that, she said. This is not for one particular person. If it doesnt happen now, we will try it again next year.
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