Newsday has issued two enorsements in 2009 endorsing Council Districts for Huntington:
Let voters decide on Huntington council districts
October 20, 2009
Here we go again: A group of citizens is asking the Town of Huntington to let the voters decide whether to set up a system of equal-population council districts for electing the town council. This time, the issue really ought to be left to voters, not lawyers.
In every town where the issue arises, the party in power – in this case, the Democrats – resists scrapping the at-large system of electing the council. They make airy arguments for the status quo, but the real reason is that incumbents like the idea that running townwide races is tough for challengers. That, of course, is exactly why districts make sense: more chance for new blood – plus more accountability.
In Huntington, there are four council members and the supervisor. Previous reform advocates also wanted to expand it to six council members. That clouded the issue. This time, advocates are pushing only for four council districts. They submitted their signatures yesterday to Jo-Ann Raia, the town clerk, who must decide on their overall validity.
Raia, a Republican in a Democratic town, found the 2005 petitions valid. But they got overturned in court. We hope these petitions pass muster, and that the town council will let Raia make that decision – with the help of a lawyer of her own choosing, if opponents make line-by-line objections.
Huntington is a modern, cosmopolitan town in many ways. It’s time its form of government reflected that.
Yea vote for town council districts in Huntington
April 6, 2009
The last time civic activists in Huntington tried to change the system to elect the town council, they got petitions signed but the initiative never made it to the ballot. Now an ad hoc group, Concerned Citizens of Huntington, is trying again. The issue is simple: Should voters keep electing the four council members at large, or should the town set up an equal-population system of four districts? This page consistently supports the district system; incumbents reflexively oppose it. No surprise. In an at-large system, challengers have to run expensive townwide races, with little chance of unseating incumbents. In council districts, challengers can win without a lot of money, if they work hard. Districts also help fix responsibility: If you have a specific council member representing your area, you have a better chance of knowing where to turn for help and holding that official accountable. If proponents get enough signatures – they need just over 3,000 valid ones – we urge the town to put it on the November ballot and voters to give it a thumbs-up.
