Eric Adams and NYC Council power struggle reaches Albany

The days of bumping proposals off the New York City ballot may soon be over if a couple of Manhattan Democratic state lawmakers get their way. 

The oversimplified backstory: Mayor Eric Adams convened a commission to put proposals on November ballot just as the City Council was getting ready to put its own proposal on the ballot – a proposal that the mayor opposed. The mayor has denied that his goal was political, but under current law, the mayor’s proposals take precedence, so he was able to bump the City Council’s off the November ballot. Now, state lawmakers are introducing legislation that would prevent a similar situation from happening again in the future. 

“It’s about empowering New Yorkers over any one mayor – not just this mayor,” said Assembly Member Tony Simone, who sponsors the state legislation along with state Sen. Liz Krueger. “We want more transparency, we want to make sure we empower New Yorkers.” Speaker Adrienne Adams’ office is strongly supportive of the state legislation, but did not provide a comment on it.

Mayor Adams has denied allegations that he convened a Charter Revision Commission in the spring as a scheme to block the council’s proposal, which would have increased the council’s power to approve or reject mayoral appointments. Council leaders have nonetheless charged that the mayor’s Charter Revision Commission process was rushed and politically motivated. Council leaders have also argued that the proposals that resulted from the mayor’s commission – Proposals 2-6 on the ballot – would collectively give the mayor more power and weaken transparency.

The new state legislation would repeal the provisions of the state Municipal Home Rule Law that say that other local referendum proposals – including those resulting from the City Council and from petitions put forth by voters – can’t appear on the ballot when a Charter Revision Commission puts proposals on the ballot. It effectively clears limitations on proposals from those sources appearing on the ballot at the same time. 

The legislation also says that in the event that two proposals presented to voters have directly conflicting outcomes and both are approved, the one that receives the most votes on the ballot would prevail. Krueger and Simone said they’re hopeful about support in the Legislature but did not have a full list of sponsors. Simone, who carried a version of the legislation last year, estimated he has shy of a dozen co-sponsors in the Assembly.

Both Krueger and Simone said that their timing for introducing this legislation – a version of which was once sponsored by former Assembly Member Dick Gottfried – is no coincidence. “This year’s issues and the concerns that have been raised by people – and been raised by the City Council – is why Tony and I thought, ‘Oh, this is a good time to take a look at this question and see whether there are changes that the state should make to make the process fairer and more democratic for future years,’” Krueger said.

Their legislation would also require that a Charter Revision Commission be organized no fewer than six months before it sends proposals to the city clerk to go on the ballot – a nod at the much quicker process that Mayor Adams’ commission took this year. “Proposals 2-6 were rushed through the summer under the cover of night,” Simone said of the proposals that resulted from Mayor Adams’ Charter Revision Commission.

The City Council is now pursuing a Charter Revision Commission of its own, which has reportedly prompted the mayor’s office to discuss the Groundhog Day scenario of convening yet another Charter Revision Commission. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the state legislation.