FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, N.Y. (December 12, 2024) — Citizens Union has issued the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to Mayor Eric Adams’s announcement of the appointment of a Charter Revision Commission:
“It is unfortunate that New York City will now have dueling charter revision commissions working in parallel. This approach to amending the city charter is ineffective and will confuse the public. While the individuals appointed to the mayor’s new commission are highly qualified, this move seems intended to block the City Council’s ongoing efforts to amend the city’s constitution.
State lawmakers must act swiftly to remove the ability of mayors to block ballot questions they oppose. Until this legal loophole is closed, the City Charter, the City’s basic governing document, will remain vulnerable to political jousting between mayors and city councils, which can continue for years. The Legislature should pass legislation by Assembly Member Tony Simone and Senator Liz Krueger (A5661A/S9935) as soon as the session begins in January.”
The City Council approved legislation to establish a Charter Revision Commission on November 13, 2024, with appointments required to be made within 30 days. Mayor Adams announced the creation of a new mayoral Charter Revision Commission on December 12, 2024. Municipal Home Rule Law §36, which governs charter revision commissions, provides that if a mayoral-appointed charter commission places a question on the ballot, all other charter proposals are prevented from being placed on the ballot. This means that only the proposal by Mayor Adams’ Charter Revision Commission would be allowed on the November 2025 ballot. However, state law does allow the two commissions to work at the same time. Therefore, the Council-created charter commission may submit ballot questions to the November 2026 ballot.