On Tuesday, Oct. 3 the Village of Manorhaven will hold a referendum on whether to change the mayoral term of office to four years.
Referendum opponents suggest that Manorhaven needs biannual mayoral elections to hold the mayor accountable. This is simply untrue, and the historical record bears this out.
First, our government is already accountable to residents every year when trustee elections are held. This will not change if the mayor’s term is extended.
The mayor cannot pass any resolutions or change any laws without a majority of the Board of Trustees, and four out of five board seats face election every two years.
Just as now, if the mayor’s term is extended he is accountable to the people well before he is up for re-election. If he has displeased the people of the Village, he will either be abandoned by the trustees or new trustees will be elected.
Without support from the trustees the mayor cannot pass legislation that isn’t in the best interest of residents. Changing the mayor’s term will not affect this important check on our government.
Second, over the past 40 years every incumbent first-term mayor seeking re-election in Manorhaven has won.
The fact is that Manorhaven residents have consistently chosen to give their mayors at least four years in office, no doubt recognizing that two years is too brief a time in which to properly assess a newly elected mayor.
While the Village gains nothing from more frequent mayoral elections, we are all forced to live through the heated political environment that is a mayoral election in Manorhaven.
Even worse, our government has a hard time attracting the highest-quality staff or execute long-term plans with the risk of sudden change looming over the village.
While referendum opponents argue that a “NO” vote means more accountability, the facts do not support that argument.
Manorhaven residents know that a mayor needs at least four years before his or her accomplishments can be fairly measured, and their voting history reflects this.
It’s time to bring our village’s political rollercoaster to a stop and bring some stability to Manorhaven’s government.
Jerry Volpe
Manorhaven
