Term Limits Win Out in Upstate New York After Embarrassing Blunder Went Viral
A term limits proposal opposed by Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon will become law, months after he accidentally signed a law that put the question on the ballot, Spectrum News reports.
Democrats in the county, which includes the city of Syracuse, NY, proposed giving voters an opportunity to vote on term limits for the County Executive and County Comptroller roles. McMahon – who will not be subject to the law, since he was inaugurated before it was passed – opposed the law, and signaled an attempt to veto it and keep it off the ballot.
Only, back in July, McMahon mistakenly signed the bill, claiming he didn't know what it was at the time. His blunder and subsequent attempts to walk it back turned into a nationwide news story. While he sued to keep the initiative off the ballot, McMahon ultimately offered a compromise: he would offer voters a second, more permissive term limits bill.
The bill proposed by Onondaga County Democrats will cap the terms of the county executive and comptroller at three, four-year terms. The second, sponsored by McMahon, would have capped it at four terms for a total of 16 years rather than 12.
The total count hasn't yet been tallied, but local news indicates that both bills are likely to pass, with the Democratic version taking tens of thousands more votes. If both bills pass, the one with the higher total vote count will take effect ahead of the 2030 election.
