Lawrence village reconsiders term limits for trustees

A proposed resolution that would establish term limits for trustees in the Village of Lawrence is being revised after a public hearing at the Jan. 9 board meeting that produced more debate between the trustees than the public created.
Following their discussion board members compromised and an amended law would limit trustees to four consecutive two-year terms. If approved it would go into effect on July 1.
Originally, Trustee C. Simon Felder, who serves as deputy mayor, introduced a measure that would limit trustees to six consecutive years. Trustee terms are two years. Felder thinks that residents who want to serve are reluctant to run against long-serving trustees. “The desire to serve is great, but the desire to challenge incumbents is less,” Felder said, in explaining why he supports term limits.
Trustee Michael Fragin called the original six-year proposal “restrictive.” “Why six years?” he said. “It is a short amount of time. It limits people with experience.”
Term limited as Lawrence mayor — no more than three consecutive two-year terms — Martin Oliner also opposes the idea. “Term limits are not a good idea,” he said. “It takes a very long time to learn how the village works.” Mayoral term limits were approved by the board during Mayor Lawrence Blatte’s administration. He served as mayor from 1996 to 2002.

East Rockaway is the only other neighboring village that has term limits for its mayor and trustees. It also has term limits for the village justice. The positions are limited to two full consecutive four-year terms. The villages of Cedarhurst, Atlantic Beach, Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, Woodsburgh, Valley Stream, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre don’t have term limits for their mayors and trustees.
“It’s not a concept born from me alone, the Lawrence Association, the community’s civic group, have asked for term limits,” Felder said, adding that in every endorsement interview he has sat through with the organization one of the questions its board has asked is does he support term limits.
Lawrence Association President Sharon Douglas said the group’s governing board did not have an opportunity to discuss the six-year proposal but said: “We are in favor of term limits.”
Former trustees Edward Klar and Joel Mael sent a letter to the board detailing their opposition. Similar to Fragin, Klar and Mael think that term limits would reduce the number of experienced people on the board. “There is a steep learning curve to understanding municipal government and the differences from how most businesses operate,” Klar told the Herald. “To statutorily dismiss a trustee who has learned those operations, and is doing a good job, doesn’t make sense.”
Change has occurred on the board, Klar said, pointing to the past four years when first-timers Alex Edelman and Irving Langer were elected in 2013 and 2012, respectively,) and Michael Fragin (appointed in 2008, elected a year later) became trustees as another reason that term limits are not necessary. “If a trustee is not doing the job well, then the residents have the democratic ability and responsibility to elect someone else,” said Klar who served on the board from 2004-’12. Mael was a trustee from 2003-’13.
Opposition to term limits also came from Howard Siskind, another former trustee. “We have plenty of young, qualified people, the village will never run out of good people [to serve],” said Siskind, who served for seven years ending in 2003.
The public hearing for the revised proposed term limits law will be held on Thursday, Feb. 6 at Village Hall at 196 Central Ave. in Lawrence at 8 p.m.

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