Onondaga County

Syracuse, NY— The courts have authorized a path for voters in Onondaga County to decide on term limits for this November general election. The Board of Elections, the County Executive, and the Legislature have reached an agreement that both protects the Legislature’s commitment to voter choice and addresses the County Executive’s request to include a 16-year term limit question on the ballot.

This pathway was enabled by Judge Lamendola, who waived missed deadlines and authorized consideration of competing propositions. His decision allows a new local law to be submitted for legislative action.

This new local law will:

• Withdraw the previously passed term limits local law.

• Include two competing ballot questions: one for 12-year term limits and one for 16-year term limits.
• Proposes term limits for both the Offices of Comptroller and County Executive.
• Must be signed into law by the County Executive, if passed by the Legislature, no later than September 9.

• Clearly state that whichever question receives the most votes becomes the law.


A Fight for Voter Choice

“Let me make it plain: We chose you, not a lawsuit,” said Chairwoman Watts to reporters on Friday. “The Legislature began this work years ago and it was difficult then. Throughout this entire process of bringing term limits to elected offices, legislators have consistently stepped up to say, ‘We hear you. We will make this work.’”

The County Legislature adopted 12-year term limits on itself in 2025 and did so by a voter referendum. The Legislature also supported a referendum when voters overwhelmingly expressed their desire to decide the matter as it pertains to the Office of County Executive and Comptroller. 

The Legislature has been debating term limits since April, but efforts to bring equally applied term limits to all eligible elected offices have met significant resistance. When the body passed a local law to apply 12-year term limits to both the County Executive Office and the Comptroller, the County Executive unintentionally signed it into law. Because the county charter does not allow for voiding a recorded law, the adoption stood, and the legislative body could not legally act on a later-sent veto memo—not without judicial intervention.

The Clerk of the legislature, as required by New York State Election Law, transmitted the local law to the Board of Elections. An election commissioner refused to place the term limit question on the ballot. Legislators have discussed several proposals to resolve the impasse, including a local law to implement term limits that would not change the charter or require a referendum vote. That law, sponsored by Leg. Cody Kelly, is set to be voted upon at the Sept. 1 Legislative Session. The proposed law by Leg. Kelly would implement term limits at a 12-year maximum but would do so by Legislature vote and not allow voters to have the final vote. In the future, it may be reversed without voters as well.

Protecting Legal Procedure

Today’s agreement not only offers a path forward voter choice but sets up a critical safeguard to prevent future standoffs from occurring when legal procedure is in question. All parties signed an agreement stating that the events of the past three months are not precedent. Watts referenced that the legal deadlines waived to implement the new law, the blocking of the local law at Board of Elections, the refusal of a commissioner to perform their mandated duties, and the County Executive’s request to the Legislature to act outside the charter to correct a mistake were all “not how we govern.”

The court agreement made clear that if the circumstances arise again, mediation will not occur and judicial intervention will.

Chairwoman Watts has directed the clerks of the Legislature to place the new local on legislators’ desks today so it may be considered at the September 1 Legislative Session.

“I urge my colleagues to advance this law and bring this chapter to a close,” Watts said. She thanked voters for “overwhelmingly making [their] voices heard.”

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