Yonkers Insider: For Immediate Release: YONKERS RESIDENTS PETITION FOR REFERENDUM TO “ROLL BACK” TERM LIMITS.

Press Release                                                                                                  

February 27, 2023

 

YONKERS RESIDENTS PETITION FOR REFERENDUM TO “ROLL BACK” TERM LIMITS.

 

February 27, 2023 -Yonkers, New York-Yonkers Voters for Term Limits announces that on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, we are launching a citizens’ petition drive to place a referendum on the ballot in General Election in November, to restore reasonable term limits for the Mayor and Members of the City Council.

 

If successful, our referendum will roll back term limits to three consecutive terms for a total of 12 years in office, which is consistent with the County of Westchester term limit provision. An elected official, who exceeded the reimposed three term limit would be required to leave office.

 

We will be collecting signatures on our petition, and encourage all registered Yonkers voters, regardless of party, who support a three term limits to sign the petition. We need to deliver a minimum of 5,000 signatures to the City Clerk by early April.

 

 In the 1990s and 2000s, Yonkers voters approved and then reaffirmed a City Charter provision instituting term limits for our elected officials. The law was followed by Mayors Spencer and Amicone, and all Council Members who served at that time. They all left office after serving two terms for a total of 8 years and did not seek to subvert the will of the voters, as the current elected official have done.

 

In both 2018 and 2022, however, the City Council and the Mayor decided to ignore the will of the voters and unilaterally changed the term limit law to allow themselves to run for a third and now a fourth term, for a total of 16 years in office. Unfortunately, a majority of our elected officials are desperate to hold onto power and have put their own political ambitions ahead of the will of the Yonkers voters. This power grab is anti-democratic and an affront to the people of Yonkers who have long supported term limits.

 

Simply put, term limits foster “good” government and provide an important check and balance in our democracy. They remind our elected representatives that public service is a privilege and not a right.

 

In passing the laws to extend term limits in 2018 and 2022, the City Council failed to put the matter back before the voters, in part, because they claimed there wasn’t enough time. This was false. There was time; and now, there still is time to put the matter before the people for another vote this November.  It is time for Yonkers voters to send a message to our elected officials that they can no longer trample on the will of the people!

 

For more information contact Phil Zisman at:  info@yonkersvotersfortermlimits.org