With little recourse left, local lawmakers took to the streets on Thursday for one final push against Mayor Eric Adams’ Charter Revision Commission. 

At a rally, local lawmakers accused the mayor of trying to bypass the Democratic process in favor of his commission making changes to local laws. 

What You Need To Know

  • City Council held a rally on Thursday to denounce the work of the mayor's Charter Revision Commission 

  • The lawmakers, once again, showed their opposition, calling the commission's work a "sham" and "anti-Democratic" process

  • The commission completed five ballot questions on Thursday. The questions will now block the City Council's push to get its advice-and-consent bill from appearing on the November ballot

“What’s happening before our eyes is a sham. It is anti-Democratic. It’s counterfeit,” Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif said. 

On Tuesday, the commission announced it had settled on five ballot questions for the November election, effectively blocking the City Council’s push to increase its oversight over mayoral appointments. 

“What is clear is that the mayor’s commission was created simply to block voters from deciding on the existing advice and consent proposal in this November’s election,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said.

The City Council was hoping to have its advice-and-consent bill, which would increase its oversight over 20 commissioner-level appointments, on the November ballot. 

But city law allows any referendum pushed by the mayor to supplant all other ballot questions.

“It is an attempt at mayoral control over the legislative body that was elected to represent the people of the City of New York,” the council speaker said. “It is a dangerous power to shift power away from the people represented by the City Council to one single individual. Do you want a king…do you want a king?”

A short time later, the commission approved its recommended changes to the city charter.  

The commission did make one last-minute change, amending one question on public safety bills affecting the police, fire and corrections departments. The change struck out a previous proposal that required a public safety hearing before a public safety bill was introduced. 

“Nothing changes. Whatever the Council does now with [the] introduction of bills stays the same. It would only be for the notice of the vote would trigger a 30-day notice to the mayor, the agencies and allow for public hearing,” Diane Savino, executive director of the commission, said.  

Lawmakers have strongly opposed the ballot measures that add additional administrative requirements to the legislative process. 

“You’re going to make us tell the City Council what to do on bills that we have extensive discussions on. Wrong fight, Mr. Mayor,” Manhattan Councilwoman Gale Brewer said. 

With the vote, the City Council’s push to get its proposal on the ballot has been officially blocked.

Ahead of the vote, lawmakers vowed to fight against the commission’s ballot questions from being approved by voters. 

“Lets see what comes on the ballot and I think there will be a great anti-referendum,” Brewer said.

“We’re looking forward to this coalition and working with our speaker and the entire Council to make sure we’re able to push back on this anti-Democratic process,” Hanif said.