Elected Officials and No Power Grab NYC Call for NYC Voters to Reject Mayor Adams’ Trump-like Charter Move
MEDIA CONTACT: Kristine Mikkelsen, kmikkelsen@spitfirestrategies.com, 908.304.4869
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
New York, NY- Today, No Power Grab NYC – a campaign of over 60 community and civil rights groups and nearly 50 elected officials – held a rally to urge voters to vote no on Props 2-6 on November 5. Props 2-6 were placed on the November ballot by recently-indicted Mayor Eric Adams through the most rushed charter revision process in the past two decades. If enacted, they will change New York City’s constitution to give the mayor more unchecked power, weaken government checks-and-balances, and take power away from everyday New Yorkers - possibly for generations. Elected officials in attendance today included Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Other city leaders present included Donna Lieberman of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Ana Maria Archila of the NY Working Families Party and Susan Lerner from good government group Common Cause.
“Mayor Adams snuck Props 2-6 on the back of the ballot at the last-possible moment with a sham process - and now the mayor is relying on deceptive and misleading ballot language to try to trick New Yorkers into passing these dangerous proposals. Props 2-6 are a dangerous power grab that would change our city’s constitution to weaken checks-and-balances and give recently-indicted Mayor Adams more unchecked power at the expense of everyday New Yorkers. New Yorkers know a con when we see one, so we need to flip our ballots and vote NO on Props 2-6,” said Joo-Hyun Kang, spokesperson for No Power Grab NYC.
Over the past 20 years, charter commissions have taken as long as a year to fully consider changing the city’s constitution and engaged as many New Yorkers and experts in the process as possible. Mayor Eric Adams convened a charter revision commission of his staunchest allies,including his top political supporters and donors, to oversee the most rushed and undemocratic charter revision process in the past two decades and to knock City Council legislation off the ballot. With only seven weeks between the first hearing and the commission’s vote to approve items for the ballot, the mayor’s charter process was widely criticized as a politically-motivated sham that excluded meaningful input from New Yorkers and key experts. The resulting proposals dangerously expand mayoral powers and erode New York’s system of checks and balances. Nearly 50 city, state and federal elected officials have united with No Power Grab to call for New Yorkers to vote no on props 2-6, including Congressional representatives Yvette D. Clarke, Jerry Nadler, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velazquez; Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and others.
“New Yorkers are standing up together and heading to the polls to say no to Mayor Adams’ power grab. Propositions 2 through 6 on our ballots will impact the lives of New Yorkers. Your lives, my life, the lives of our aunts, uncles and the future of our children. They will make the Mayor more like a king, when what we really need is a Mayor who works for us, the people. Mayor Adams is attempting to change the city’s charter to increase his power and dismantle our local system of checks and balances. But we won’t let Mayor Adams hurt our democracy. Let's together, preserve our democracy and protect our future. Flip your ballot over and vote NO on Props 2-6,” said Perla Silva, Senior Civic Engagement Coordinator at Make the Road New York.
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“With election day in less than a week, now is the time for New Yorkers to defend our democracy and reject the mayor’s dangerous power grab. Props 2 through 6, which came out of a rushed and compromised Charter revision process, would weaken checks and balances in our city while giving unchecked power to this mayor and any future mayor to block policies that benefit and protect New Yorkers. The City Charter is too important to change through a hurried and politically-motivated process, and we urge New Yorkers to vote no on Props 2 through 6,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.
"Propositions 2-6 are a power grab by the Mayor and bad for our everyday people. The Mayor is using these proposals to confuse voters into taking power away from the city council and giving it to the Mayor's office. This is a bad idea under any mayor, but especially under this Mayor, who has demonstrated such poor judgment and betrayed the trust of New Yorkers. New Yorkers elect their city council members to fight for them, and having a strong city council that can hold the mayor accountable is essential to make sure that the city government serves the interests of everyday people and not the demands of the rich and well-connected. We urge New Yorkers to vote NO on Proposals 2-6," said Ana María Archila, Co-Director of New York Working Families Party.
“I am deeply concerned by ballot proposals 2-6, which were hastily rushed through the approval process and, if enacted, could lead to a far less functional New York City government. Each of these proposals were specifically written by Mayor Adams and his supporters to enhance his political power and undermine the fundamental system of checks and balances written into our city’s charter. That is why this November I will be voting no on ballot proposals 2-6 and I encourage my constituents to do the same,” said Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.
"Earlier this year, the Mayor established a charter revision commission undermining previous a Council-led commission, which had thoughtfully developed proposals over a number of months where public testimony was properly considered and incorporated. The Mayor’s commission hastily published ballot proposals, all of which have harmful consequences and further tip the balance of power towards the Mayor. At this turbulent time for City Hall, I am joining many of my colleagues in advising against further empowering the Mayor by voting against propositions 2 through 6," said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein.
"If passed, Mayor Adams’ ballot propositions would consolidate power in himself and his administration,which has always been committed to criminalizing Black and Latine communities. New Yorkers deserve policies that uplift and protect everyone, not measures that further silence and marginalize communities of color and undermine democracy. Voting ‘no’ on propositions 2 through 6 is a stand for public safety, building wellness, and equity in our city,” said Donavon Taveras, Community Safety Coordinator at the Justice Committee.
“Amending the City charter is far too important of a process to be done under the cloak of darkness. However, scheduling a handful of hearings in the dead of summer on the very real issues facing New Yorkers is the definition of opaque. No mayor, now or in the future, should be able to circumvent the voices of the people, which is why I urge New Yorkers to vote no on Props 2-6,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing.
"Ballot proposals are a useful opportunity to give voters a say on thoughtful, well-reasoned changes to our laws. But these proposals came from a rushed commission stacked with the Mayor’s allies, and are simply an effort to undermine our checks and balances while shielding him from accountability. Propositions 2 through 6 would unnecessarily upend the city’s normal legislative process and we urge voters to reject them,” said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York.
"I stand with the No Power Grab Coalition and my fellow elected officials in urging New Yorkers to reject Ballot Proposals 2 -6. The Mayor's Charter Revision Commission proposals are the result of a rushed process, contain anti-democratic provisions, and are an unnecessary intrusion into the City's policy making process,” said Assemblymember Robert Carroll.
“New Yorkers aren’t falling for Mayor Adams’ power grab this election cycle. With Props 2-6, Adams and his allies have slipped in intentionally misleading ballot measures to consolidate their power and evade accountability. With the election less than a week away, we’re calling on New Yorkers to flip their ballots and vote yes on prop 1 to protect abortion care but vote no on props 2-6: our city’s democracy depends on it!” said Corinne Worthington, Advocacy & Research Manager with the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.
“As his administration collapses from corruption & mismanagement, Eric Adams is cynically using this ballot process to consolidate more power for himself and to undermine the ability of the City Council to act as a co-equal branch of government and a counterbalance against his worst actions. Everyday New Yorkers — especially low-income, Black and brown New Yorkers — will suffer as a result of this ego trip while the Mayor’s friends and donors will have even greater access and sway in City government. VOTE NO,” said Nick Enclada-Malinowski, Civil Rights Campaign Director at VOCAL-NY.
“New Yorkers know that unchecked mayoral power leads to corruption. Props 2-6 are Mayor Adams's attempt to cement the status quo -- of a mayor under investigation and indictment -- into law in the NYC constitution,” said Alicia Singham Goodwin, Political Director with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.
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Background:
No Power Grab NYC is a campaign of more than 60 local and national civil rights and community groups from every background and borough – joining with city, state and federal elected officials from across the city to defend democracy at the ballot this November. The coalition is calling on New Yorkers to vote “No” on Proposals 2-6 - the dangerous, undemocratic proposals that came out of Mayor Adams’ sham charter revision process.
In May, just two months before the deadline to place charter changes on the ballot, Mayor Eric Adams hastily convened a charter revision commission to kick City Council legislation off the ballot. Every person appointed to the committee was one of the mayor’s staunchest allies, including his top political supporters, donors and lobbyists with pending business before the city. The language of the proposals is deceptive and misleadingly crafted to seem harmless, but Props 2-6 make major changes to New York City’s constitution that will give the mayor more unchecked power, weaken checks-and-balances, and make it harder for the city to deliver for New Yorkers.
For more information about the No Power Grab NYC campaign and why New Yorkers should Vote No on Props 2-6, visit https://www.nopowergrabnyc.org/.
