Town Board members are considering a temporary switch to either a 3-year term length or a 1-year term to align the town elections with the federal elections cycles. Currently, Commissioners serve 2-year terms, falling on odd-numbered years.

Commissioner Dave Gilroy requested that the board consider the change as a way to boost voter participation at the local level, saying that people think more about voting during national election years. 

Just 10.2 percent of registered voters – less than 5 percent of Cornelius citizens – voted in the Nov. 8, 2011 elections.

“There’s nobody up here (at the dais) that is actually supported by more than 3 percent of Cornelius,” Commissioner Gilroy said Monday night, which is “ludicrous.”

About 10 years ago, the Cornelius Board voted to switch from 2-year terms to 4-year terms, but switched back to 2-year terms after just one cycle. The shift put town elections out of sync with national elections, meaning they no longer coincide at the 4-year marks.

At the citizens comments time Monday, former Commissioner Jim Bensman said 2-year terms hold commissioners more accountable to the voters. During his 10-year tenure as commissioner, Mr. Bensman served a 4-year term as well as several 2-year terms, and said “it actually changes your thought process.” He said also that longer terms tend to strengthen incumbency, as candidates have more name recognition making it very difficult for newcomers to win elections.

After some discussion, board members seemed inclined to stick with 2-year terms, but to look into the idea of a one-time switch to either a 1- or 3-year term to get back on track with federal elections. A permanent switch would require legislative approval from the state, attorney Bill Brown said, but a temporary switch might not require the same procedure. Board members on Monday instructed town staff to look into the procedure for making a temporary switch.

Also Monday, the Town Board:

• Voted to appoint Teresa Hawkins to Seat 6 on the Architectural Review Board, filling the seat left by Mark Small. Ms. Hawkins is a registered landscape architect with nearly 30 years of experience. She lives on Bethel Church Road.
• Voted to adopt for maintenance three roads in the Heritage Green subdivision.
• Heard an update from Planning Director Karen Floyd on the town’s ongoing and upcoming planning projects, including the Antiquity Heights apartments, that are now 70 percent complete; the 6,000-square-foot North Mecklenburg Animal Hospital expansion; and the Legacy Cornelius project, now underway off Westmoreland Road, among others.