Mineola Village Board Proposes Four-Year Terms

The Village of Mineola is used to holding elections every year. Like clockwork, at least two of the five village trustees’ terms expires each March, including that of the mayor.

However, the current members of the village board are seeking to change the election cycles, going from two-year terms to that of four years.

“I floated this idea,” mayor Scott Strauss said after making the announcement at the August 7 meeting of the village board at the village hall, referring to community forums that he had held with residents in the spring. “It’s just a good move. The residents are getting tired of (political fliers) in their mailbox.”

Each of the members of the village board cited increasing costs of holding elections as a primary reason for changing the elected terms due to the use of new electronic ballot-scanning machines and the phase-out of the old lever-style machines.

“We’ve gotten a reprieve because of (Sen. Jack) Martins and (Assemblywoman Michelle) Schimel; how long are we going to get a reprieve?” deputy mayor Paul Pereira asked, referring to legislation that has allowed local municipalities to continue to use the lever machines for the past two election cycles and which are scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of 2013.

“It’s going to become very expensive not to have it,” added trustee Dennis Walsh.

When using the electronic ballot scanners, municipalities must print ballots to cover 110 percent of registered voters within the district. There are approximately 12,000 registered voters within the village of Mineola, meaning about 13,000 ballots must be printed at a cost of 55 cents per ballot.

“I might as well just shred cash in a machine,” Strauss said.

Each of the trustees also felt that two years is not enough time to “learn” the job of sitting on the village board.

“Two years really is not enough time, I think,” Pereira said. “All the comparable villages our size have four year terms. I think you can get more accomplished that way.”

“It doesn’t give enough time to learn the job of trustee and mayor,” said Strauss. “It takes the politics out of decisions.”

“There’s a lot to take in and read up on,” added Durham, who said he “felt awkward” about asking for support every two years. “It creates some leeway.”

All that is required to change the terms going forward is a simple majority vote of the village board. However, Strauss had announced a special hearing on September 18 to let residents express their views on the proposed change.

If implemented before the March 2014 village election, Pereira and trustee Paul Cusato could potentially be the first of the trustees to run for four-year terms.

“I was always in favor of the four-year term,” Cusato, the longest-tenured board member, said.

Pereira, however, was less optimistic that he would have the chance for a four-year term in March.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “It probably won’t work out the first time.”

If approved by the village board, the trustees would still have to finish their current two-year terms before running for a four-year term. There would also be a changeover to place the trustees onto a four-year cycle, meaning that one trustee – potentially the mayor – may have to run for a three-year term instead to create the right election cycle so votes are held every other year.

“The law says how you have to implement the change,” village clerk Joseph Scalero said when asked how the process would be conducted, adding that more information would be given at the September 18 hearing.

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