Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Charter Revision Commission

Charter Revision Commission

  • Charter Revision Commission Hears Expert Testimony on Voting, Redistricting and Campaign Finance Reform

    de blasio voting election day

    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    On Monday, the 2019 Charter Revision Commission heard from election experts from across the country as commissioners consider three potential election-related alterations to the city charter: ranked-choice voting, redistricting, and democracy vouchers.

    The commission is in the middle of a year-long process of public hearings and private discussions, which will yield proposals to change the city’s foundational laws that will go before voters this November. The scope of those

    ...
  • City Council Seeks Expanded Power, Sweeping Change in Recommendations to Charter Revision Commission

    johnson council

    (Photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    The New York City Council wants a voice in picking the commissioner of the NYPD, more independence for ethics and oversight agencies, and greater power over the city budget.

    Those are among the recommendations that the City Council made in a new report to the 2019 Charter Revision Commission, seeking amendments to the city’s governing document that would broadly strengthen the powers

    ...
  • 2019 Charter Revision Commission Announces Four Focus Areas

    spequinn city council 2012

    (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)


    The 2019 Charter Revision Commission on Thursday officially decided on the issues it would explore and evaluate going forward, settling on four overarching areas of consideration and several specific policy recommendations within each bucket.

    The commission, which was empaneled through City Council legislation, features appointees from various elected officials and the Council, and first met in July of last year, is working on a longer timetable than that of last year’s mayor-empaneled

    ...
  • Next Steps for 3 City Charter Revisions Passed Election Day

    schools chancellor reg

    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    This is part of AGENDA 2019, a joint Gotham Gazette-City Limits project
    Find the rest of the series here

    Voters approved three ballot proposals on Election Day to amend the New York City charter, the city’s foundational

    ...
  • With Nod from De Blasio and Push from Johnson, Momentum for Ranked-Choice Voting in New York City

    bdb at voting machine

    (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    With all three of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s charter revision proposals approved by voters by wide margins on Tuesday, eyes are now on the 2019 Charter Revision Commission, empaneled by the City Council and other officials, which will, in some respects, pick up where the 2018 commission left off, possibly considering issues that the mayor’s commission did not act on.

    Key among those is ranked-choice voting (also known as instant runoff voting), an alternative method of voting wherein voters rank their candidate preferences

    ...
  • Flip Your Ballot, Vote Yes on 2 for Democracy

    participatory budgeting

    (photo: @pb_nyc)


    On Election Day -- Tuesday, November 6 -- New Yorkers have a unique opportunity to vote for democracy. By voting “yes” on three ballot proposals, we can turn New York City into a beacon for democracy.

    The ballot proposals will make it easier for ordinary New Yorkers to run for office, vote in elections, have a say in city decisions, and serve on community boards. They will make our government better and our voices stronger.

    ...

  • Vote Yes Three Times to Improve New York City Democracy

    three voting booths

    (photo: Mayor's Office)


    A political awakening is sweeping New York City. Voter turnout during the last election spiked nearly 300 percent. More New Yorkers are speaking out and looking to engage in the civic life and democracy of their city.

    Earlier this year, hundreds of New Yorkers, many of them everyday people who gave up their personal time to attend a public hearing, voiced their concerns to a New York City Charter Revision Commission appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio traveling the five boroughs. The Charter Commission boiled down hundreds of hours of

    ...
  • What's the [DATA] Point? 3, with Cesar Perales, Charter Commission Chair

    whats the data point


    What's The [Data] Point? Episode 58 -- 3, Cesar Perales, chair of the mayor’s 2018 charter revision commission [You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

    cesarpicCesar Perales, chair of Mayor Bill de Blasio's 2018 Charter Revision Commission, joined the podcast to discuss the commission's work and the three ballot proposals it put forth that go

    ...
  • De Blasio Pushes 'Yes' Vote on 3 Ballot Proposals

    de blasio 3 ballet

    32BJ's Hector Figueroa, with Mayor de Blasio and others (photo: @32BJSEIU)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday continued his eleventh-hour push for the ballot proposals put forth by his Charter Revision Commission, with a rally at the headquarters of labor union 32BJ SEIU, where he was joined by other unions, elected officials, and advocates in favor of the three reforms that will appear on New York City voters’ ballots on Election Day.

    De Blasio, who announced the commission in his 2018 State of the City address to examine and propose revisions to the

    ...
  • Prominent Elected Officials Oppose De Blasio Charter Revision Proposals

    Mayor de Blasio

    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio is seeking to make a lasting impact on city governance through a charter revision commission that would transform the city’s campaign finance system, promote greater civic involvement in city affairs, and inject new blood into local community boards. But prominent elected officials, most of whom are Democrats like de Blasio, don’t agree with the proposals the mayor’s commission has put on the November 6 ballot and are urging New Yorkers to reject them.

    The mayor’s commission put ...

  • Brewer Creates Committee to Oppose Charter Revision Proposals

    brewer de blasio bill signing

    Mayor de Blasio & BP Brewer (photo: Brewer's office)


    Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer is forming an independent expenditure committee to try to defeat two public referenda on the November general election ballot that would impose term limits on community board members and create a new citywide civic engagement agency under the control of the mayor’s office.

    Last month, the charter revision commission created by Mayor Bill de Blasio approved three ballot questions to present to voters on November 6. The first would significantly

    ...
  • Elected Officials Present Broad Proposals to 2019 Charter Revision Commission

    stringer charter testimony

    Comptroller Stringer testifies at the 2019 Charter Revision Commission (photo: @NYCComptroller)


    The charter revision commission created through New York City Council legislation concluded its first round of public hearings last month, receiving dozens of suggestions about improving the functions and structure of city government. Unlike the commission established by Mayor Bill de Blasio, which has three proposals on this November’s ballot, the Council-created commission is set to propose changes to the city’s central governing document via the 2019

    ...
  • Law Department Issues Warning as Community Boards Consider Charter Commission's Term Limits Proposal

    Mayor town hall

    (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayor's Office)


    One of three questions placed on this year’s general election ballot by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s charter revision commission would, if approved by voters, impose term limits on community board members. Though the proposal has left many community board members fuming about the potential impact, the city’s Law Department has sought to remind the boards that they cannot pass official resolutions taking a position on a ballot question.

    In a September 13 memo sent to the director of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit,

    ...
  • 2019 Charter Revision Commission Holds First Public Hearing

    charter rev thing

    The first hearing of the 2019 charter commission (photo: @Charter2019NYC)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio’s charter revision commission may be done with its work but a separate commission, empanelled through legislation passed by the City Council, is just getting started.

    The City Council-created commission, conceived by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Public Advocate Letitia James, held its first hearing on Wednesday to get suggestions about improving the city’s charter, the document that outlines the central powers, structures, and functions of

    ...
  • Mayoral Charter Revision Commission Puts Three Questions on November Ballot

    charter revision commission 2018

    The Charter Revision Commission (photo via Charter Commission)


    After months of meetings and deliberations, thousands of suggestions and dozens of hours of public hearings, the charter revision commission created by Mayor Bill de Blasio voted to put three broad questions on the ballot in November. If approved by voters, the proposals would significantly reduce campaign contribution limits in city elections, create a new agency to civically engage the public, and apply term limits and appointment reforms to community boards.

    De Blasio created the commission to

    ...
  • Term Limits and Other Community Board Reforms Strengthen Local Democracy

    comm board 3

    A Manhattan community board meeting (photo: @ManhattanCB5)


    Community boards are our most participatory, hyper-local form of government in New York City. In November, we will have the chance to vote for necessary reforms that will help ensure our community boards represent the diverse perspectives of our communities. These reforms will likely include term limits for community board members, greater transparency in the appointment process, and better technical assistance for community board members to make fully informed decisions. They will be put before voters as a

    ...
  • Mayoral Charter Revision Commission Votes to Create Final Ballot Proposals

    29662531635 782845d55b z

    Mayor Bill de Blasio casts his vote (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    The commission convened by Mayor Bill de Blasio to review and revise the city charter passed a resolution on Tuesday instructing its staff to create ballot proposals related to enhancing the municipal campaign finance system, increasing civic engagement and improving the role and structure of the city’s 59 community boards. At the same time, the commission punted on issues related to instant runoff voting and independent redistricting, leaving those to be resolved by a future

    ...
  • NYPD Watchdog Seeks Sharper Teeth Through Charter Revision

    ccrb exec director twiter2

    CCRB reps, including Jonathan Darche, middle (photo: @CCRB_NYC)


    When the NYPD decided earlier this month to move ahead with its departmental trial against two officers involved in the 2014 death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner, it tasked the Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent watchdog agency, with prosecuting the charges. But that prosecutorial authority has yet to be codified into the City Charter, the city’s central governing document, a change that CCRB officials are seeking through Mayor Bill de Blasio’s charter

    ...
  • Mayoral Charter Revision Commission Releases Preliminary Report

    de Blasio McCray voting

    Mayor de Blasio votes (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    With less than two months left to complete its work, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s charter revision commission released a preliminary report on Tuesday outlining five broad issue areas -- campaign finance, municipal elections, civic engagement, community boards, and redistricting -- that it will continue to explore in public hearings and community events over the next two

    ...
  • City Council Charter Revision Commission Takes Shape

    gg city council hearing committee

    (Sofie Hecht/Gotham Gazette)


    The New York City Council’s commission to review the city charter -- a separate effort from an existing commission created by Mayor Bill de Blasio -- has been fully appointed and is set to begin its work next Monday, July 16.

    The City Council passed a bill in April, spearheaded by Public Advocate Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Council Speaker Corey Johnson, to create a commission to analyze the city’s governing document and recommend potentially significant

    ...
  • Chair Says Charter Commission Will Step In Where Politics Has Slowed Reform

    bill charter

    (photo via the Mayor's Office)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio’s charter revision commission, convened to examine the city’s central governing laws, concluded the second leg of its public input process last week with a series of forums where they sought expert opinions on campaign finance reform, electoral access, civic engagement, redistricting of City Council boundaries, land use decision-making, and community boards. As the commission continues to narrow its tentative list of proposals to present to voters on the ballot in November, Commission Chair Cesar Perales, a former

    ...
  • Mayoral Charter Revision Commission Hears Expert Testimony on Civic Engagement and Redistricting

    lander and hidalgo at crc

    Council Member Lander and Noel Hidalgo testify


    The charter revision commission convened by Mayor Bill de Blasio held its fourth and final issue-focused forum on Thursday afternoon at NYU, hearing testimony from experts on the city’s civic engagement efforts and hearing proposals for independent redistricting of City Council districts.

    The central question before the commission on civic engagement was whether the city should create a new independent, nonpartisan Office of Civic Engagement. The proposal is the brainchild of New York City

    ...
  • Mayoral Charter Revision Commission Hears Expert Testimony on Community Boards and Land Use

    corey jo comm board 2

    A community board meeting (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)


    The mayor’s Charter Revision Commission met on Tuesday at the Pratt Institute for the third of its four expert advisory issue forums, this time discussing potential changes to community boards and the city’s land use process. The first meeting, held last Tuesday, ...

  • Mayoral Charter Revision Commission Hears Expert Testimony on Campaign Finance Reform

    charter comm rev2

    The Charter Revision Commission


    The Charter Revision Commission empaneled by Mayor Bill de Blasio met on Thursday at NYU for the second of four expert advisory issue forums, discussing what could be the marquee issue for this year’s commission: changing the city’s campaign finance system. The first meeting, held Tuesday, ...

  • Campaign Finance Board to Propose Reforms at Charter Commission Hearing

    mayor cityhall march

    (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office)


    New York City’s modern campaign finance system is undoubtedly a model program -- it’s being emulated in other municipalities -- that has diversified and democratized the city’s quadrennial local elections since it was created 30 years ago. Among its strengths is that the public-matching program is consistently tweaked and updated with the times, and the Campaign Finance Board is taking the opportunity afforded by a mayoral charter revision commission to propose further reforms to the system.

    CFB

    ...