New York City Mayor's Power to Block Ballot Proposals Under Fire

New York City Mayor Eric Adams' office is pushing back against a bill approved by the state Legislature that would prevent mayors across New York from using charter review commissions to block ballot proposals. The bill aims to eliminate the mayor's power to "bump" proposals off local ballots by appointing commissions to make their own proposals. This tactic has been criticized by Adams and several of his predecessors, including then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who blocked a proposal to prohibit city money from going to a new Yankee Stadium in the late 1990s.

Critics argue that the mayor's power to block ballot proposals is undemocratic and prevents voters from having a say in local issues. Assemblymember Tony Simone, the bill's sponsor, says that the current law is "unchecked and unbalanced" and that the bill aims to balance the power. However, Adams and an organization representing mayors across the state are hoping that Governor Kathy Hochul vetoes the bill, arguing that the current law is meant to prevent multiple proposals about the same issue on the ballot.

Key Takeaways:

• The bill would eliminate the mayor's power to block ballot proposals by appointing charter review commissions to make their own proposals.
• Adams and his predecessors have used this tactic to block proposals they found objectionable, including an effort to require City Council approval for his agency commissioners.
• The bill would make changes to the state's municipal home-rule law and would prevent mayors from "bumping" proposals off local ballots.
• The current law allows a charter revision commission to take precedence over a council-created commission, essentially "bumping" the council-created commission's proposals from the ballot.
• The bill had never passed both houses of the state Legislature until last week, when Simone and Sen. Liz Krueger were able to get it to the floor for a vote.
• The New York City Conference of Mayors opposes the bill, arguing that the bumping provision serves a purpose in preventing conflicting proposals from being placed on the ballot at the same time.
• Hochul has not indicated her stance on the bill, but has given a spokesperson to review the legislation.

Statistics:

• 30,000 voter signatures or 10% of total voters in the last gubernatorial election are required to get a proposal on the ballot via petition.
• The current law allows a charter revision commission to take precedence over a council-created commission, essentially "bumping" the council-created commission's proposals from the ballot.
• 1998: then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani blocked a proposal to prohibit city money from going to a new Yankee Stadium by appointing a commission that put a minor campaign finance question on the ballot instead.
• 2023: the state Legislature approved a bill that would prevent mayors from "bumping" proposals off local ballots by appointing charter review commissions to make their own proposals.

Sources:

• Assemblymember Tony Simone, a Manhattan Democrat, sponsored the bill to eliminate the mayor's power to block ballot proposals.
• Sen. Liz Krueger, a fellow Manhattan Democrat, was a key sponsor of the bill and has spoken out against the mayor's tactic of blocking ballot proposals.
• Liz Garcia, Adams' spokesperson, said in a statement that the state officials are attempting to bypass governing processes they were elected to uphold.
• Hannah DiLiberto, spokesperson for the New York Conference of Mayors, argued that the bumping provision serves a purpose in preventing conflicting proposals from being placed on the ballot at the same time.