(The Center Square) — A coalition of New York City Democratic officials are urging voters to reject several ballot questions in November that they say would dramatically expand Mayor Eric Adams’ executive powers.
The No Power Grab NYC coalition, which includes Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and about 40 other mostly Democratic leaders, said they oppose propositions 2-6 on the Nov. 5 ballot, which they say would give the mayor’s office “more unchecked power, erode government checks-and-balances and make it harder for city government to deliver for New Yorkers.”
“By undermining democratic representation that is accountable to the people of this city and infusing mayoral control on the legislative branch, these changes risk making government less responsive to the needs of New Yorkers,” Speaker Adams (no relation to the mayor) said in a statement. “It’s critical that we safeguard the interests of New Yorkers with checks and balances.”
The proposals, which were cleared for the ballot by the city’s Charter Revision Commission, include a proposal that would allow the mayor’s budget office to gauge the fiscal impact of council bills before they are passed and another that would require more notice if the council plans to vote on legislation impacting public safety.
Other proposals would expand the NYC Department of Sanitation’s authority to clean up city-owned property, overhaul the city’s capital planning process, and make the city’s business diversity officer a permanent post in the city government.
No Power Grab NYC spokesperson Donavon Taveras said the goal of the newly formed coalition is to “educate” voters about the five ballot questions. He said Mayor Adams “fast-tracked” the proposals and is “relying on the fact that most voters don’t know these proposals that are dangerous for democracy and bad for New Yorkers are even on the ballot.”
“It’s a disgrace that the mayor’s sham charter commission rubber-stamped Props 2-6 to be on the November ballot – the proposals would make permanent changes to New York City’s constitution that give more unchecked power to the current and future mayors, weaken checks and balances and make it harder for NYC government to deliver for everyday New Yorkers,” Taveras said.
The Charter Revision Commission pushed back on the coalition’s claims, saying the panel voted to approve “thoughtful ballot proposals reflecting the desires they heard from New Yorkers for clean streets, fiscal responsibility, public safety, transparency in the city’s capital planning process, and support for Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises.”
“Now, New Yorkers will have the power to flip their ballots and vote on these proposals in November,” Diane Savino, the commission’s executive director, said in a statement.
The pushback over Adams’ ballot questions comes as the Democratic mayor fights federal fraud and campaign finance violation charges after he was charged two weeks ago in a five-count indictment alleging that he accepted more than $100,000 in undisclosed gifts from the Turkish government. Adams has pleaded not guilty to the charges and says he has no intention of resigning despite increasing calls to step down.
Brad Lander, New York City’s Comptroller who is challenging Adams in next year’s Democratic primary, also opposes the Adams-backed ballot questions, which he said is being pursued in the “midst of a constant drip of resignations, subpoenas, and raids among Mayor Adams’ inner circle” and said the changes if approved would “diminish administration accountability, when we need it more than ever.”
Nadler, the dean of New York’s congressional delegation, blasted the ballot questions as a “power grab” by Adams and argues the changes would “erode checks and balances” in the city government.
“Revising New York City’s charter is not something that should be done in the middle of the summer over the course of seven weeks,” said Nadler, whose district includes parts of New York City. “It’s our city’s constitution and any changes require careful consideration, not put together hastily in an attempt to undermine the important role of the City Council.”