STATEMENT: No Power Grab Coalition Urges New Yorkers Not to Give Adams More Power; Vote No on Props 2-6

MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Kristine Mikkelsen, kmikkelsen@spitfirestrategies.com, 908.304-4869 
 
New York, NY -  In response to today’s federal indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, No Power Grab NYC – a coalition of over 50 local and national civil rights groups and community groups united against Props 2-6 on the November ballot – released the following statement from spokesperson Joo-Hyun Kang.
 
“Regardless of whether the mayor is found to be innocent or guilty of the serious charges in this indictment, proposals 2-6 are a dangerous power grab by the mayor and will be on the November ballot. There are real questions being raised right now about the mayor’s ability to govern on behalf of all New Yorkers and not just his own interests - and those questions are part of why proposals 2-6 must be rejected. Putting Props 2-6 on the ballot was a sneaky move by Mayor Adams to change NYC’s constitution to give himself more unchecked power, erode government checks-and-balances and take power away from everyday New Yorkers. 
 
“The mayor’s charter proposals (Props 2-6) will still be on the ballot whether he is found innocent or guilty - and now is not the time New Yorkers should be entrusting him with more unchecked power. We need to unite to protect our city from this dangerous mayoral power grab that could have generational consequences and vote no on Props 2-6.”
 
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Background: 
No Power Grab NYC is a coalition of more than 50 local and national civil rights and community groups and everyday New Yorkers from every background and borough uniting to defend democracy at the ballot this November. We’ve come together to call on New Yorkers to vote “No” on Proposals 2-6 - the dangerous, undemocratic proposals that came out of the mayor’s sham charter revision process.

New York City's Charter is the city’s constitution. The charter defines the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of NYC’s city government including the power of the mayor and the City Council.

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. Proposals 2-6 were crafted to increase his power and weaken NYC’s local system of checks and balances. 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 will seem innocent, but that’s misleading. Props 2-6 make major changes to our city’s constitution that will weaken checks-and-balances, make it harder for the city to deliver for New Yorkers, make it harder to get transparency or accountability from the NYPD and Department of Corrections, and give the mayor more unchecked power for him and his interests.

For more information about the No Power Grab NYC coalition and why you should Vote No on Props 2-6, visit https://www.nopowergrabnyc.org/.