Politics never end, and even as we prepare for the return of President Trump to the White House, local elections are gearing up across the region, including elections this year for Nassau County executive and New York City mayor along with legislative and councilmanic elections.
And if recent trends hold, it appears that moderates are on the march across the region, even as the extremes in both the Democratic and Republican parties appear to hold sway in Washington.
That is a good thing for local affairs. When both parties have to compete for voters, they tend to work together to get things done to show voters they can fix problems and manage growth.
We saw that in the last two election cycles, when voters sent first Republicans and then Democrats to Congress from Long Island.
Republican Bruce Blakeman won the Nassau County Executive election 2021, and Democratic Mayor Adams rebuffed attacks from the left to win the election in New York City that same year. Both are up for reelection this year. District attorneys in Nassau, as well as in Manhattan and Brooklyn, are also up for reelection this year.
Hanging over this year’s elections on Long Island was a rebuffed attempt by Albany legislators to shift all local elections – except in New York City – from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years to align with state and federal elections.
The argument in favor of the switch was that turnout is higher in those even-numbered years. The argument against it was that local issues would get short shrift in election debates dominated by national and statewide campaigns. Long Island officials were at the forefront of calling for the retention of odd-year elections for local offices.
A state judge upstate put the switch on hold, holding that home-rule provisions in the state Constitution authorized counties to set their own election rules. We don’t know if that decision will ultimately hold if it goes before the Couty of Appeals, the state’s highest court, but it seems as if the status quo will hold at least for this year.
While I appreciate the argument that turnout is higher in even-numbered years, I believe that so-called off-year elections for local elections give voters a clear picture of those seeking government office at a level that most directly affects their lives, including the taxes they pay, the schools their children attend and the health and public safety issues carried out locally.
So while we watch the shenanigans going on in Washington, we should appreciate that local politics is marked more by cooperation than confrontation. Washington should learn a lesson from us.
Howard Fensterman is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Abrams Fensterman LLP, based in Lake Success
