The Lakeville Estates Civic Association has petitioned to double the term length of a Town of North Hempstead supervisor from two years to four years.
The association’s president, Bill Cutrone, said the organization filed the petition to North Hempstead Councilwoman Lee Seeman on Jan. 30. According to Cutrone, the petition outlined several reasons for the desired extension, mainly centered on efficiency on the town council.
“Four-year terms allow the Supervisor to initiate more difficult projects that would require a longer time for completion and see the project through to its completion,” the petition states.
Currently, all other North Hempstead Town Board members serve four-year terms.
The petition states “by the time the Supervisor becomes familiar with all the necessary aspects of a long term project they have to change focus from the project to campaigning for office.”
Additionally, the association proposed a maximum of three four-year terms for a supervisor, for a total of 12 years. As of now, there is no term limit for the North Hempstead supervisor or council members.
North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth, who was elected to her fourth term in October, said she does not believe any changes would affect the daily operations in the town but values residential input.
“Whether we have a two or four-year term would not have a significant impact on the day-to-day business of the government,” Bosworth said. “Good government is our focus regardless of when the next election is taking take place. However, if the residents feel this is an issue of importance, they should be given the opportunity to decide if the supervisor’s term should be changed.”
Cutrone said Seeman’s assistant Suzette Gray submitted the proposal to town attorneys. He said he and the association hope that the changes will be included on the November ballot.
If approved, North Hempstead would be the first town in Nassau County to extend a supervisor’s term to four years. Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip, Smithtown and Southold are the six towns in Suffolk County that have already adopted four-year terms for their supervisors.
Town spokesman Gordon Tepper said North Hempstead officials would coordinate with the county’s Board of Elections to get the proposal on the ballot.
“If the residents feel this is an important issue, and the town board members agree, there may be an opportunity for this to go up for a referendum,” Tepper wrote in an email.
Tepper said the earliest this could take effect would be in the town’s 2023 supervisor race.
