DiNapoli not keen on term limit proposal

Unsurprisingly, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who is seeking a fourth full term in 2022, is not keen on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to limit statewide officials to serving two consecutive terms in office.

Speaking Tuesday on The Capitol Pressroom, the Long Island Democrat said he has generally been opposed to term limits and prefers to “trust the people” to decide who they want their elected representatives to be. Hochul is proposing a constitutional amendment that would apply to the governor, lieutenant governor, state attorney general and state comptroller.

“I don’t believe in an arbitrary limitation like that,” DiNapoli said in his interview.

But he did say that term limits were more acceptable to him for executive positions, like the governor or president (while describing his position as “administrative”). “The reality is the aggregation of power, the arrogance that comes with that, is more likely to happen with an executive position than with more of an administrative role,” DiNapoli said.