Great Neck Estates mulls extending trustee, mayor terms

Janelle Clausen
Great Neck Estates Mayor William Warner, as seen at a previous meeting, listens as someone speaks. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)
Great Neck Estates Mayor William Warner, as seen at a previous meeting, listens as someone speaks. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)

The Great Neck Estates Board of Trustees set a public hearing date of Nov. 12 for a law that would expand terms to four years from two at its meeting Monday night.

Currently, terms for both mayor and trustee are two years. Expanding to four-year terms would make it the lone village on the Great Neck peninsula to do so, according to an analysis of village websites and codes, but not the only one on the North Shore.

“Basically, the idea is to have four-year terms, and we have to resolve on whether they’re going to be in the even number of years or the odd numbered years because there are different ways mechanically of doing this under state law,” Thomas Levin, the village attorney, said on Monday.

Levin also said that if trustees want to change the law, it needs to be done by February – or before March elections.

Mayor William Warner said the board has mulled over potentially expanding terms for a long time.

“It’s something we’ve talked about for years and it just seems to make sense for everybody,” Warner said. “None of us get paid; we all have to run.”

“Plus it will save the village money because the village will have to do an election every two years instead of every [year],” Levin added.

In unrelated village business, trustees approved an increase in pay for a contractor in the meter maintenance agreement from $750 per month to $850 because pay hadn’t increased since entering the agreement.

Kathleen Santelli, the village administrator, said the parking meters earn the village an average of $4,000 per month, while the municipal lot yields about $2,000 per month.

In other village business, officials said the village’s 911 system broke down Saturday, but that alarms still work and Nassau County would immediately forward calls. Great Neck Estates police will be dispatched if an incident occurs in the village.

Share this Article