Term limits in Clarkstown.
Clarkstown passed term limits in 2014. They never took effect. How a law meant to cap every elected official at eight years ended up with no force at all, who went to court to undo it, and how residents can get term limits that stick.
What happened
What the courts did and did not decide
The courts did not rule that term limits are illegal in Clarkstown. They ruled that a law like this one, which changes the terms of elected offices and curtails their power, has to be approved by the voters in a referendum under the Municipal Home Rule Law, and that this one never was. As the Court of Appeals put it, “the law cannot become operative through the mere passage of time.”
That also points to the fix. A term-limits law that goes to the voters in a referendum does what the 2014 law did not.
Where Eugene stands
In March 2026 Bondar launched a residents’ petition calling on the Town Board to put a clean term-limits law on its agenda. His first-100-days plan sends a term-limits law to the Town Board within the first 30 days and sets it for a local referendum the following November, so residents, not officials, decide. His platform applies the limits to every elected town office.
Common questions
Does Clarkstown have term limits?
No. The Town Board passed an eight-year term-limits law in 2014, but New York’s highest court ruled in May 2023 that it never took effect because it was never put to the voters in the referendum state law requires. The law has no legal force or effect.
Who sued to overturn Clarkstown’s term limits?
George Hoehmann, then the Town Supervisor, together with a Town Board member and a voter, sued the Town of Clarkstown in December 2022. The Appellate Division noted that Hoehmann had originally voted for the law. It would have barred him from running in the June 2023 primary.
What did the courts decide?
The Rockland County Supreme Court dismissed the suit as filed too late. The Appellate Division reversed in May 2023 and declared the law invalid because no referendum was held, and the Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed on May 19, 2023.
Can Clarkstown still adopt term limits?
The courts did not rule that term limits are unlawful. They ruled that this law needed voter approval and never got it. A term-limits law submitted to Clarkstown voters in a referendum is the route the decisions point to.
What is Eugene Bondar’s plan on term limits?
His first-100-days plan sends a term-limits law to the Town Board in the first 30 days and sets it for a local referendum the following November, so residents decide. His platform applies the limits to every elected town office.
- Hoehmann v Town of Clarkstown, Court of Appeals, Nos. 56, 57 & 58 (per curiam)
New York Court of Appeals, May 19, 2023 - Hoehmann v Town of Clarkstown, 2023 NY Slip Op 02606
Appellate Division, Second Department, May 15, 2023 - Bondar Issues Public Challenge to Hoehmann, Launches Residents’ Petition
Bondar for Clarkstown, March 18, 2026 - The First 100 Days
Bondar for Clarkstown, retrieved September 23, 2026
Quotations from the decisions are verbatim from the official slip opinions. This page is a plain-language summary for voters, not legal advice. It reflects the public record as of September 23, 2026.