West Seneca is considering establishing term limits for elective officials – as have the towns of Amherst, Tonawanda, Grand Island, Evans, and Lackawanna already undertaken.

West Seneca posted a survey on the town website in April about the proposal.

According to today’s Buffalo News report:

Of the 326 valid entries, 70% were in favor of term limits, 26% were against and 4% were unsure. In separate questions looking at specific offices, 96% were in favor of limiting terms of council members, 92% would limit the term of the supervisor, 66% would limit the term of the town clerk and 70% were in favor of a term limit for the highway superintendent.

The town discarded 380 other responses because it appeared they were submitted by the same person within seconds of each other, and with identical answers to the questions. Those discarded responses included 370 comments against term limits and 10 in favor.



Has Lancaster ever considered establishing term limits for elective positions? Not to my knowledge. It was never considered by a town board that for the past 70 years has been under Democrat Party control for all but one four-year term. In the past 25 years town boards have been comprised of less than a total of 10 Republicans.

While I also believe under ordinary circumstances elected officials are done when voters decide they are done, term limits are necessary at times and should be only instated by public referendum.

Lancaster currently has a supervisor serving in his 21st year of elective office – 18 as a council member. Several previous individuals likewise served decades in elective office – all Democrats.

This year had it not been for the efforts of Lancaster Conservative Party and ex-Republican Party Chairs, the voters voice would have been suppressed by a colluded attempt by the Democrat and Republican Chairs and their handpicked supporting committees to cross endorse all candidates running for election.

The REP-DEM unholy alliance went so far as to try to overtake the endorsed Conservative line by primarying the endorsed candidates and where REP-DEM committee members were garnering petitions to best the endorsed conservative party candidates.

It is unfortunate there are no term limits for the political operatives who control the candidates, their purse strings, too often their very souls.

Lancaster voters shouldn’t be thinking about term limits this year as much as considering voting for the primary victorious Conservative – Real Republican candidates:

Anthony Cervi – Town Justice
John Pilato – Highway Superintendent
Adam Dickman – Council
Mark Burkard - Council