Letter from 70+ Organizations to Mayor Adams & Charter Revision Commission
July 17, 2024
Mayor Adams Charter Revision Commissioners
City Hall charterinfo@citycharter.nyc.gov
New York, NY 10007
Dear Mayor Adams & Charter Revision Commission members,
We, the undersigned, represent a broad cross-section of New Yorkers from every background, community, and borough. We understand that Charter Revision Commissions are among this city’s most sacredly important undertakings; they have been used to reconfigure city government and balance power relationships to produce a more perfect union. All of us have an interest in a New York City Charter that is thoughtful and deliberative, while modernizing governance and creating a city that works for all New Yorkers. It is in this spirit that we urge you to refrain from placing any charter revision initiatives on the ballot in November 2024.
The mayor announced this Charter Revision Commission on May 21. On June 24, after only five public input sessions within a two-week period, at which only a small handful of New Yorkers spoke, the commission issued a preliminary report that made a series of recommendations addressing “fiscal responsibility,” “public safety,” “minority-and-women owned businesses,” “modernization,” and “other proposals.” A July 12 deadline was established for the receipt of written testimony, and according to the commission’s website, the commission will vote on final ballot language at their final meeting on July 25.
We submit that the 2024 Charter Revision Commission and the subsequent preliminary report were created in poor faith and are antidemocratic:
● It is widely understood that this Charter Revision Commission’s timing and primary purpose is to enable the mayor to block the New York City Council’s advice and consent ballot measure from being considered by voters in November. The measure would allow the Council the opportunity to consider more mayoral appointments for city commissioners, increasing voter transparency over mayoral appointments. While we don’t take a position on the Council’s proposal, we know that there is no mandate or public call for this commission; it seems to simply be a retaliatory and preemptive attempt to attack the City Council’s role in government and to further expand mayoral power.
● The commission does not represent a broadly-interested cross-section of impartial New York City stakeholders. Instead it has been stacked with appointees characterized by their close ties to the mayor.
● The timeline for the commission has been unreasonably rushed and compressed. New Yorkers have barely had time to learn what a charter revision is let alone figure out how to meaningfully participate in it.
● The hearings have been poorly attended and underpublicized. The commission’s first hearing, on June 5, was so hastily thrown together that members of the public only found out about it the night before, resulting in only a handful of attendees. In fact, less than half of the commissioners attended the first hearing of their own commission. The commission’s hearing in Staten Island on June 25 featured just five in-person testimonial statements, and took place in an auditorium that can only be described as nearly empty.
● Absent robust public debate, testimony, and data, it can only be assumed that the recommendations in the preliminary report were either conceived in a matter of days or in advance of the hearings. Meanwhile, the report left advocates, experts, and concerned citizens just 13 business days to read, research, and respond to its recommendations before public testimony closed on July 12.
No process this harried, disorganized, and non-transparent could possibly produce charter revisions that are thoughtfully considered, informed by the public, and placed on the ballot with any democratic legitimacy. The process has been opaque since it was launched, with hearings and meetings publicized in a piece-meal, largely last-minute fashion. As of July 16, there is still no information on the commission’s website to indicate when the final report and recommendations would be released for consideration by the public and commissioners.
This charter revision process is unbecoming of the mayor, our city, and our charter itself. The charter is the heart of New York City’s governing structure. Given the many serious concerns, we urge you to refrain from placing any items on the November 2024 ballot. Absent any apparent emergency, heart surgery is performed with patience, deliberation, and care, none of which is to be found in this process. New York City should be an example of how good, transparent, and participatory government should function, and how real democracy should flourish.
Sincerely,
Ali Forney Center
ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York
Alliance for Quality Education
Anthony Baez Foundation
Arab American Association of New York
CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities
Campaign Zero
Caribbean Equality Project
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College
Center for Popular Democracy
Churches United for Fair Housing
Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU
Common Justice
Communities United for Police Reform
Community Connections for Youth
Community Education Council 14
Community for a Cause
Defending Rights & Dissent
Drug Policy Alliance
DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving
El Puente
Equality for Flatbush
Faith in New York
Families For Freedom
Freedom Agenda
Housing Works
Immigrant Defense Project
IntegrateNYC
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ)
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club
Justice and Beyond
Justice Committee
Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Legal Action Center
Make the Road New York
Malcom X Grassroots Movement
Mekong NYC
Met Council on Housing
Metropolitan Community Church of New York
Middle Collegiate Church
MomsRising Together
Muslim Community Network
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
Neighbors Together
New Kings Democrats
New Settlement Parent Action Committee
New York Civil Liberties Union
New York Communities for Change
New York Progressive Action Network
North Star Fund
NY Working Families Party
NYC Anti Violence Project
OAAARS
Parole Preparation Project
Parole Preparation Project
Partners for Dignity & Rights
Public Science Project
Release Aging People in Prison Campaign (RAPP)
Surveillance Resistance Lab
Surveillance Technology Oversight Project
Suspension Representation Project - Education Advocacy Chair
TakeRoot Justice
The Center for Anti-Violence Education
The Gathering for Justice
The People's Plan NYC
Transgender Law Center
Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project
Urban Youth Collaborative
VOCAL-NY
Youth Represent
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