Empire State Today

Yesterday, the New York City Charter Review Commission issued its preliminary report on potential changes to the City’s charter. In response, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, and Betsy Gotbaum, Executive Director of Citizens Union, issued a statement addressing the Commission’s process and the need for greater public input.

“The Charter revision process is a powerful and important avenue for New York City to enact meaningful change. Unfortunately, this Commission is operating on a historically rushed timeline, doing a disservice to New Yorkers who will be impacted by its work and undermining trust in any final recommendations,” they stated. “While we are encouraged to see the Commission recommend against major changes to the City’s Charter regarding city elections without more time and further review, we continue to urge the Commission to delay putting any substantive proposals on the ballot this November.”

They added: “Instead, we urge the Commission to establish a better procedure for future Charter revisions that sets a minimum time before the Commission can place a measure before the voters, allowing the Commission time to thoughtfully consider issues and providing the public with greater opportunity to consider any changes and make their voice heard before proposals are finalized. New Yorkers deserve to have confidence that government is working for them, and that requires a commitment to transparency and access.”

In May, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the creation of a Charter Revision Commission tasked with considering changes to the City’s existing laws. Unlike previous Commissions which operated between 4 to 12 months over the past 20 years, this one will operate for just two months before making final recommendations.

The compressed timeline has drawn comparisons with previous Commissions under Mayor Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg in 2002. The most recent Charter Review Commission convened by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2021 took eleven months before voting on proposals put on the 2022 ballot.

During public hearings held by this year's Commission, organizations such as Common Cause New York and Citizens Union testified about concerns regarding insufficient opportunities for public feedback due to what they described as an accelerated process. They called on delaying progress until after November's elections so voters could adequately review proposed changes.