Back in June 2023, the New York legislature passed A4282B/S3505B, identical bills that move most local partisan elections from November of odd years, to November of even years. But only on December 12 did the legislature sent the bills to the Governor. That means she is now under a time limit to either sign or veto the bills by the end of the year.
The bill faces opposition, because some people feel putting elections for local office on the November ballot in even years will make it difficult for candidates for local office to get any attention.
Why not let the voters of each local government decide for themselves when and how they hold elections? Probably because the fascist demon rats who control state government feel compelled to have totalitarian control of the absolute maximum number of things they can get away with. That’s literally the only thing that they want in life.
Yes, that is what most states do, let local governments decide for themselves when to hold their local elections.
The Imperial State government feels compelled to be different in that regard, because other state governments are not totalitarian enough for them. New York State runs on “consensual” non-consent, once known as cuomosexuality.
Cuomo? What Cuomo! NY gov loves you very, very hard. No Cuomo, bro!
@Pig,
New York state has a considerable level of local home rule.
There is currently a default state law that provides that local elections are in odd years, and most localities follow that practice.
The new statute would change odd to even, and would add a “notwithstanding” provision that would override any contrary local statute.
I think the delay was a gift. It gives her the chance to say she doesn’t have enough time to study it. (And that they’ll pass it next year) Some municipalities use the independent petition method to make elections non-partisan in New York.
FED EVEN
STATE ODD
LOCAL EVEN
–HAVE *SOME* REAL COMPETITION IN FED AND STATE ELECTIONS
I’m the farmer, not the pig. I do feed pigs, and house and provide their medical care such as it is. But that’s only so I can kill them in cold blood in front of their family and friends, cut up their carcasses, sell them, and profit.
I think you and I have a different concept of what a significant amount of home rule is. And I’m sure you probably know more than I do about how the term evolved, but it seems at least as it’s used these days, or maybe as it was always used, “home rule” implies the larger geographic unit is the master or parent, and the local governments are subordinate or children of some sort. I think it should be the other way around, with the most local units of government maximally sovereign and each successive level above that, if it must exist at all, only having such powers as those given to it from below, with no such powers being permanent – secession at every level below would always remain a legal option for what I would consider genuine home rule. Every level above the most local possible should be a freely chosen union with only those powers which levels below cede at their pleasure, with every right to take back in whole or in part at any time.
They are also moving with this proposal to limit the existing home rule to even less than what it now is – as you pointed out the existing law allows at least some locations to not follow the preferences of others, whereas the proposed law would mandate uniformity from above without exception.
That’s absolutely 100% the wrong direction. The only thing they should do with the existing law providing a default should be to repeal it and replace it with nothing. Simply put, when and how local governments hold elections or anything whatsoever to do with those elections should be nobody’s business but their own and that of its own cobstituents, voters, and legal structures.
How bad is New York State compared with other state regimes right now ? I don’t feel like looking it up again , but every time I have, it was always at or right near the top of lists of the most heavily taxed and regulated states. Many New York State residents would very much love for New York city, and perhaps its suburbs as well, to be a separate state or states. Unfortunately, as it stands no one will give them any real choice in the matter any time soon.
https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/tax-burden-by-state-2022/
TF SINCE 1930S ???
GEE HIGHER TAXES IN COMMIE OR FASCIST STATE REGIMES ???
BOTH NOW PASS THRU THINGS FOR SO-CALLED ***FEDERAL AID*** — ALL ADDING TO USA NATL DEBT
Commie-fascist states like New York are the worst. For worst of worst, it’s probably between New Pork and Commiefornia. The second one is probably the best candidate for improvement of just about everything in the other 49 states by being kicked out of their union, but New York is most likely right there at the top of that list too, as is DC, which should definitely be its own turd world country surrounded by a border wall – America’s own Gaza strip.
HMM
IS TRUMP A GERMAN H-U-N NAME ???
DOES TRUMP HAVE HITLER *BLOOD* IN HIS SKULL ???
HOW MANY DEAD GERMANS IN WW I AND WW II — VIA THEIR KILLER/ENSLAVER *LEADERS* ???
Michiganeh could probably be exiled to Canada, along with new pork, new England and the west coast COW states, and the rest of us would be tremendously happier – as, I’m sure, would they. We need a national divorce.
@P. Farmer,
I thought Pig was a nickname.
Towns and cities and counties in New York have always been creations of the state. Historically cities were granted charters by the legislature, just as they might grant a charter to a railroad, canal, or turnpike company.
If a city wanted to provide a new service, such as operating a cemetery, or changing ward boundaries, they had to get the legislature to change the charter by passing a bill. As a consequence, New York has very few cities (40?).
The Constitution was amended to give home rule to counties, cities, towns, villages, etc. control over their charter and governing structures, including elections.
Many towns were content to keep their current form of government: a supervisor and two selectmen elected every two years, in odd years. There would be literally no advantage to remove the default.
Pig Farmer is both nom de plume and profession. I don’t remember, but I think I read you’re a lawyer. I could be wrong, but you seem like you might be one. You can correct me if I’m wrong but let’s say for this here example you’re a lawyer. Then your job or business or professional occupation is to butcher the laws, bring their carcasses to market and profit, just like what I do with my pigs.
It’s true, your profession also “raises” and “feeds” the laws, but only so you can ultimately cut their necks, bleed them out, and make a living. At any rate, it’s what I do with pigs. That doesn’t make me a pig any more than being a lawyer makes you the law. If you’re not a lawyer you still seem easily smart enough to understand the analogy.
Thanks for the history. It doesn’t change my view. Government should be primarily local to the maximum extent possible. Voters can most easily influence, control, and when needed replace the most local forms of government, and have less and less say as the levels of government grow bigger, more remote, and more larded with layers of bureaucracy.
It’s good that at some point a greater degree of local control was granted. They should have kept going in that direction and made the state a voluntary association of local governments with temporary limited powers solely at those local governments discretion, up to and including further membership in the association. They should move in That direction now. It seems very unlikely at the moment, but incremental steps in that direction would be better than none or any in the opposite.
The current legislation in question is clearly a move in the opposite direction. I’ve given an example of what a legislature which shared my opinion, at least directionally, might do. We all know the New York legislature does not, so it’s what I think lawyers call a moot point.
As far as I know, anything past that is what farmers back in the days before mechanized farming implements called beating a dead horse, a concept which if I’m not mistaken is also familiar to lawyers. I can tell you for a fact that pig carcasses decline in value past a certain point when they’re not successfully sold for profit. They then begin to have negative value as they emit a foul odor and must be disposed of.