Read the full article here.

New York, NY – City Council Members united in calling out the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission for trying to block voters’ rights and undermine local democracy by rushing the development of new proposals that disenfranchise New Yorkers from voting on an existing advice-and-consent ballot question in November. The elected representatives of districts throughout the city had urged the Mayor’s Commission to instead use its full term to fulfill its responsibility, thoroughly reviewing the City Charter and developing proposals for the 2025 General Election with more extensive policy assessment and public engagement.

Council spokesperson, Julia Agos, issued the following statement in response to the Commission’s final report being released: “This Mayor’s sham Charter Revision Commission has done a disservice to New Yorkers by putting forward rushed proposals that block voters’ rights while undermining democracy and oversight of the Mayor’s administration. The lack of independence of the Mayor’s Commission has made a mockery of what should be a serious process, with their last hearing consisting of commissioners asking testifiers how many votes the Mayor received in the election and inaccurately claiming it was millions. This final report mirrors the commission’s rushed process with it issuing its final report less than 24 hours after this final hearing with hours of public testimony.

“The Mayor’s commission has put forward proposals that impact the Council without engaging us as the entity affected, different from the Council’s legislative process that the Mayor’s Commission has consistently attacked. It has engaged in a legislative process and failed to meet even the most basic requirements for openness and transparency that would be a fraction of the Council’s process. The Council urges this Commission and the Mayor’s Administration to avert this unnecessary and obvious disenfranchisement of voters. Let New Yorkers decide on the existing advice-and-consent ballot question this year instead of continuing with this undemocratic sham.”

The Council released a new video explaining the advice-and-consent proposal that New Yorkers will be able to vote on in November’s General Election, deciding whether 20 additional agency commissioners should require confirmation by the Council. However, the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission had been rushing to develop new proposals that change the City’s constitution for the 2024 General Election to block New Yorkers from exercising their democratic right to vote on the existing proposal.

Advice-and-consent is a well-established safeguard of democracy to ensure government prioritizes the public interest rather than those of individuals, which has long been used in many of the nation’s cities and state governments, making New York City an outlier. Advice-and-consent can strengthen the city’s government and representative democracy by ensuring that the appointments for agency commissioners are based on qualifications and the public’s interests, rather than political loyalty or other motivations.

A Charter Revision Commission is a major process to change the City’s constitution, which requires a full review of the City Charter and the development of proposals to improve government. It should provide extensive ways for the public to engage and a thorough review of proposals with stakeholders. This Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission has operated on a rushed schedule of less than two months of meetings. However, the law that authorizes the Commission allows it to operate until November 2025, providing ample time to conduct a thorough constitutional review and develop thoughtful proposals. The City’s last Charter Revision Commission in 2019 operated for nearly eight months to review the Charter and advance proposals to the ballot.    

The advice-and-consent bill was introduced on May 23 and the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission held its first meeting on May 29. The law (Int. 908-A) was adopted after the Council passed it in a near-unanimous, bipartisan vote of 46-4 on June 6.

Testimony from New York City Council Members and staff is available here.

The following are excerpts from their testimony:

Speaker Adrienne Adams: “There is no sound reason to short-circuit this process and submit one or more questions to the voters before that time, which would be hurried and underdeveloped. A rushed process would only undermine the Commission’s ability to successfully carry out its stated mission of reviewing the entire City Charter and put forward thoughtful proposals. I urge the Commission to avoid this detrimental outcome that would risk significant harm to good governance and democracy in New York City.”

Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala: “A rushed process, like the one proceeding, inhibits the Commission’s ability to successfully carry out its stated mission of reviewing the entire City Charter and putting forward thoughtful proposals. The Commission should avoid an outcome that would undermine good governance and democracy in New York City. It can do this by not rushing to introduce new ballot proposals for the 2024 General Election, and instead utilizing its entire term that runs well into 2025 to offer sound ballot proposals next year after taking the necessary time and efforts required of a constitutional process.”

Majority Leader Amanda C. Farías: “Reviewing the New York City Charter is a significant task that requires adequate time for both the commission and the residents of our city. Currently, the Commission is pushing through the process in less than two months to meet the August 5th deadline for this year’s General Election. This rush deprives New Yorkers of the opportunity to decide on expanding advice and consent for themselves and the City Council in the appointment process for 20 city agency commissioners. The City Council firmly calls for an honest and democratic process that includes feedback from a diverse group of New Yorkers across all five boroughs before the CRC submits its report.”

Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers: “I urge the Mayor’s Commission to uphold the democratic process and allow New Yorkers to vote on the existing advice-and-consent proposal that voters are set to decide in the 2024 General Election. Let us ensure that any proposed changes to the City Charter are well-considered and beneficial for the future governance of New York City by utilizing the full term for thorough and meaningful review. The Mayor’s Commission should focus on producing thoughtful proposals for consideration in the 2025 General Election, and let voters decide on the existing advice-and-consent proposal this year.”

Council Member Sandy Nurse, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus: “It is deeply concerning that the motivation to start this Commission is because Mayor Eric Adams does not want New Yorkers to vote on an existing proposal that the Council passed this year. The New York City Council is elected by millions of voters to legislate on their behalf for a better city and a better government. Any effort to thwart the democratic process of New Yorkers voting on this proposal in November is an attempt to rob the voters of this city of their right to decide. This move undermines our local democracy at a time when we are fighting nationally to keep it.”

Council Member Crystal Hudson, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus: “There’s no need to rush. This Commission has the authorization to operate until Election Day 2025, when, notably, voters who are currently focused on a history-making presidential election, not the nuts and bolts of New York City government. Voters are already widely aware of advice and consent because my colleagues and I have spent months discussing it and fielding concerns. But any new proposal is one proposal too many. Next year, voters will be in a better position to decide on a number of new charter revision suggestions as they’ll be focused on selecting who is best to run the city they call home. More time means more community input, better ideas, and more support.”

Council Member Shahana Hanif, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus: “I urge the Commission not to include proposals amending the Council’s ability to legislate public safety or laws the Council has passed to protect immigrant families. The Commission should instead follow the recommendations outlined by Speaker Adrienne Adams in her testimony, including permitting the public to vote on Intro. 908-2024, which would expand the Council’s advice and consent powers.”

Council Member Lincoln Restler, Chair of the Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation: “This Commission first met on May 29, 2024 – just over two months before final ballot language must be submitted. No other Charter Revision Commission in recent history has ever operated on such an accelerated timeline. Further, this Commission has conducted only twelve public hearings and forums – short of the 15 that were conducted in 2018 or the 30+ hearings conducted by the 1989 Commission. The initial round of hearings was also announced with little notice or publication, leading to sparsely attended sessions, and the last round of hearings is being held only two weeks before final ballot language is due. Public engagement is critical to the charter revision process, and it is clear that this hastily convened commission is not seeking real public feedback.”

Council Member Shaun Abreu: “Of course, we all know the real reason this commission is scrambling: to keep Advice and Consent off the ballot. But Advice and Consent is Democracy 101. It’s one of our most basic tools for holding our government accountable, and it’s used in DC and Albany and already in our city for select positions. If we want a transparent, effective, and responsible government—a government that gives New Yorkers a voice in the affairs of their city—we will reject this half-hearted attempt at a Charter Revision and put Advice and Consent on the ballot this November.”