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Over 70 Organizations Denounce Mayor Adams' Last-Minute Scheme to Change City Charter, Call for Charter Revision Commission to Reject Attempt to Include on November Ballot

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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