Overstayed Their Welcome? Oneida County Leg. Candidate Circulate Term Limits Petitions
Three candidates seeking elected office in Oneida County Government are circulating a petition to garner support for term limits on the county legislature.
County Executive candidate Michael Hennessy, along with James Zecca and James Herchek - running for legislative seats - say such a limit is needed locally to "counteract the potential for incumbency advantage and the entrenchment of power. By limiting the number of terms an individual can hold office, the door is opened for a broader range of individuals to step into leadership roles, injecting new perspectives and solutions into the decision-making process," a release from the group read.
Each of three have signed a petition that supports an eight-year cap on consecutive service for legislators and the county executive. It would amount to a limit of four-consecutive terms for legislators and two, consecutive terms for the county executive's office.
County residents are invited to sign an online petition calling for such term limits. As of this posting, the petition had garnered 50 of the 1,000 signatures set as the campaign's goal.
Hennessy is challenging incumbent Republican Executive Anthony Picente who was appointed to the post back in 2006, and then was elected to full-four-year terms in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.
Zecca is running in county's 19th District, encompassing part of South Utica, a seat currently held by the city's former mayor, Tim Julian. Zecca won a primary for the Conservative line in June, defeating Julian 10-6. Meanwhile, Herchek is a candidate for the 12th legislative district, a portion of Rome, and will face incumbent Republican Brenda McMonagle, who defeated her challenger for the GOP line this summer.