Presently introductory Local Law No. 5 of 2023 has not yet been acted on by the Montgomery Town Board since it is still subject to an open public hearing for further comments by town residents. This local law extends the town supervisor term of office to four years from the present two years. Under the purpose section of the law, its reasons for lengthening the term are: It’s considered a full-time position and as such, continuity should be extended for the office. This, the law reads, is in the public interest. 

For me, the $87,466 annual salary of the Montgomery town supervisor dictates that the position should be worked as full time. A local law does not have to spell that out for me. Also, historically there has never been any disruption in continuity with the two-year term of the supervisor position.

Transition from term to term, regardless of a change in personnel, has been relatively smooth in practice, no roadblocks or challenges to speak of. This all leads me to my contention that the present two-year town supervisor term is most appropriate for the overriding public interest of electoral accountability. The only direct say, the only impactful check on those in local power, is the vote at the ballot box. Extending the town supervisor term to four years, doubling its current duration, would short-change electoral accountability. It would substantially limit the frequency with which the public’s voices can be heard concerning the town supervisor position come election time. Participatory democracy demands the two-year town supervisor term remain intact.