When voters go to the polls in New Paltz this November 8, they are advised to turn the ballot over and vote on local referenda. The two town-specific questions are similar: each will ask voters permission to double the length of a term of office from two years to four. The positions in question are town supervisor and highway superintendent, and if they pass, the new term length will not take place until elections are held next year.
The last time such a question was put to voters here, in 2006, the town clerk’s term was extended but both the supervisor’s and superintendent’s were left as is, at two years apiece. While a referendum of this nature is not intended to be about the current office-holder, the popularity of those presently serving could well play a part in voters’ decisions.