Members of the Village of Massapequa Park Board of Trustees placed a check on themselves and future local officeholders on Monday, when they adopted a local law which makes it tougher to change the terms of elected public officials.

Stating that the current state law allows boards of trustees to change terms of office with a simple resolution and with very little opportunity for public input, the new village legislation incorporates a mandatory, substantial amount of public input in order to change the length of terms. The measure was approved unanimously during Monday night's regular board of trustees meeting.

According to Mayor Camillo Giannattasio, the adoption of the law fulfills a promise made by his political party, the Front Street Party, during the village elections last March. The party also includes Trustees Bob Wilcox, John O'Brien and Bill Van Wagner. The changing of terms became a key issue of their campaign, as they criticized the then-governing board for trying to extend their term limits, from two to four years, without public notice.

"We believe this will preserve the annual elections in the village, because I don't think I could have made it any more difficult to change the terms," Giannattasio said. "It makes this village government more responsive."

The requirements of the law are the following: 1) a petition must be signed by at least 250 registered voters in the village requesting a public hearing to be held to change the term of office for one or more elected officials, 2) within 60 days after the village administrator receives the petition, a vote should be placed on the agenda for the board of trustees to decide whether or not to schedule a public hearing on the matter, 3) unless the scheduling of a public hearing is approved by the entire Board of Trustees, the issue is deemed defeated, 4) if the scheduling of a public hearing is defeated, the same issue cannot be considered again unless a new petition is submitted, and it must be at least a year later, 5) if the scheduling of a hearing is approved, there must be a minimum of 90 days notice of it, and it must be posted in local newspapers and in the village for four weeks, 6) after the public hearing is held, the decision to place a proposition to change the term of office on a public ballot must be approved by at least four members of the board of trustees (if four trustees do not vote affirmatively to place the matter on a public ballot, the issue is deemed defeated, 7) the proposition to change the term of office of an elected official or officials can only be put on the ballot no less than nine months prior to the next mayoral election, and the proposition can only appear on the ballot by permissive referendum or otherwise during the mayoral election year. 8) Once placed on the public ballot by permissive referendum or otherwise, the proposition must be approved by a majority of the votes cast by registered voters in the village.

Interpreting the law following the conclusion of the meeting, Village Attorney Robert Leff, who drafted it, said the measure gives the public a chance to stop elected officials from increasing their term limits. "This is good for the public," he commented. "It keeps a watch and guard on the public officials."

Following the adoption of the law, Jim Altadonna, president of the Bar Harbor Civic Association, commended the board on the action. "I'd like to commend the mayor and the board for having the courage to do that," he said, noting that the changing of terms was a hot issue a few years ago, but then had been pushed to the side. "It shows you're putting the people first and good government first over political agenda, and the residents appreciate that."