Editor’s note: This statement was provided by the below signed former mayors of the Village of Pelham and the Village of Pelham Manor. The Pelham Examiner publishes statements in the form received as a service to the community.

A voter referendum known as Proposition 3 will be on the Tuesday, November 5, 2024 ballot. Pelham Manor residents will vote on whether Pelham Manor Village elections should be moved  from March to November. As former mayors of both villages who care deeply about our  community, we urge residents to Vote No on Proposition 3. 

Local Elections Should Focus on Pelham 

Each of us served as mayor as a public service to our community. At the national level we are of  different political stripes and national party affiliations, but we got involved for Pelham, not for politics. In our view, local elections should have as little as possible to do with national politics. Villages provide essential services such as police, fire and sanitation. These services touch our daily lives, and the administration of these services is managerial in nature.  

At the village level, we should vote for the person, not the party. Holding local elections separately is the best way to achieve this, which is why most village elections in New York State  have historically been held in March, not November. For the same reason, school board elections are held in May, far from November. 

Distancing Elections from National Politics Encourages Citizen Involvement 

Village government should appeal to the best and brightest candidates who are committed to Pelham. Attracting qualified people is already difficult, and the prospect of having to confront national politics could become an insurmountable deterrent to prospective local candidates. 

The Process for March Elections Is Vastly Different from November Elections 

The process for holding March elections is shorter, simpler and more democratic. At a town-hall style caucus, typically held in January, anyone (regardless of party affiliation) can be nominated either by the party holding the caucus or from the floor. Ballots are cast in real time, and the candidates with the most votes become the nominees. It is an open, transparent and highly democratic process. From that point, it is approximately six weeks until elections are held in March. 

Holding a village election in November can extend the process to more than eight months. For  example, this year candidate petitions were circulated in late February, the primary, with a formal ballot process, was held on June 25, and the election is November 5th. As village mayors and trustees serve two-year terms, moving local elections to November results in a process that consumes approximately one-third of the time in office, and anyone seeking office must invest in an eight-month election process before a potential term even begins. 

November Elections Will Not Consistently Increase Turnout 

The argument that holding elections in November will produce a higher turnout does not appear to be supported by recent election data. In the 2023 November election (which involved contested races for county legislator, Pelham Town Council and other positions), 1,792 votes were cast by Pelham Manor residents. In the 2024 March elections (which involved solely a contested race for the Village of Pelham Manor Board of Trustees), 1,875 votes were cast by Pelham Manor residents. 

Although turnout in presidential elections is often higher, such elections, of course, occur only every four years. In addition, there will no longer be odd-year elections as a result of new NYS legislation. All elections will be on the same even-year cycle as national and state offices. If village elections were moved to November, in odd years, voters would be going to the polls to cast votes only for mayor and two village trustees. In even years, candidates for two trustee positions would be crowded onto the ballot after candidates for: president or governor, U.S. Congress, state assembly, state senator, county legislator, county district attorney, town supervisor and town council. 

Let’s Keep Pelham Manor Elections Strictly Local 

Given the same facts, most people will come to the same conclusion about what is best for our  wonderful community. To achieve this collective good, we support holding village elections that are strictly local and separate from November elections. Accordingly, we recommend that  Pelham Manor residents Vote No on Proposition 3. 

Your Committed Neighbors, 

Former Village of Pelham Manor Mayors: 

Peter DiPaola Jr. 

Brian Gallagher 

Lorri Gorman 

John Kiernan 

Thomas Lavin 

James O’Connor 

Stephen Rooney 

Ferdinand S. Spucci 

Valentine Taubner Jr. 

Former Village of Pelham Mayors: 

Timothy Cassidy 

Joseph Durnin 

Arthur Scinta 

Michael Volpe