OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Councilman Martin Bamonto, second from left, speaks during the Dunkirk Common Council meeting Tuesday. Also pictured are council members Natalie Luczkowiak (left), James Stoyle and Nancy Nichols.

Dunkirk’s treasurer and assessor would get six-year terms in a measure moved forward by the Common Council last week.

City Attorney Richard Morrisroe explained the complicated process of making the change. He said that if the Common Council approves it and Mayor Wilfred Rosas doesnát veto, it will be go for a vote at the November election. Thatás because any changes to salaries or terms for elected officials in the city must face a public referendum.

The changes would not take effect until the 2023 election cycle, Morrisroe added.

Tuesdayás move by the Common Council tabled the term changes until the April 19 meeting. That was essentially done to set the required hearing for public comments. That hearing will happen before the April 19 meeting, at 5:15 p.m.

“This was suggested … by some of the council because of the need for a certain learning curve that’s involved with those positions,” Morrisroe said. “Especially with the assessor, the state’s changed the rule somewhat so there’s three years of training that goes into that.”

The proposed changes came in for some criticism. “If we extend these positions to six year terms, what recall ability do the citizens or the council have…if the person who was elected doesn’t have the ability or has some nefarious intentions within that?ã Paul Sommerfelt asked during the public comments portion of Tuesday’s meeting. âIt seems like we’d be stuck with someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, or plans to do evil, for six years rather than just two years.”

Rosas offered his own negative opinion about the plan a little later. “I don’t know that is in the city’s best interest, I sincerely believe it is not,” he said. “I support whatever the community wishes and I just want to make it publicly known I do not support that resolution.”

Trustee Marty Bamonto said he was inclined to vote for it because he was curious how the public would vote. He agreed with earlier statements by Sommerfelt that charter changes should be done all at once by a commission and not piecemeal, and that the treasurer should have minimum job qualifications.