Why New Yorkers Should Vote No on Propositions 2-6

This Election Day, Mayor Adams is attempting an undemocratic ploy to weaken the separation of powers in New York City and make it harder to hold police and corrections officers accountable. These efforts come in the form of five proposals that will be on the ballot in New York City this November.

Propositions two, three, four, five and six represent an undemocratic attempt to expand the power of the mayor at the expense of everyday New Yorkers and our elected City Council members. These proposals or “props” would significantly alter the New York City Charter, our city’s constitution.

The proposals would upend the separation of powers in city government, empowering the mayor and agencies like the NYPD and the Department of Corrections to derail the legislative process. This will make it even more difficult than already for the Council to pass legislation that benefits New Yorkers and provides much-needed oversight and accountability. The mayor wants to protect the NYPD and the Department of Corrections — which runs the city's prisons — from checks on their power.

What is the New York City Charter and what are charter revision commissions?

The New York City Charter acts as the city's constitution. It provides an overview of how our local government works. This includes how our elections are conducted, what our budgeting process is, and what powers our city authorities have.

Charter revision commissions are temporary commissions that review the entire charter and make any suggestions for changes or “amendments” to voters. Previous commissions were responsible for revamping the entire structure of city government, introducing ranked-choice voting and reinstating the two-term limit for the mayor and other elected city officials.

Charter revision commissions are serious endeavors designed to engage experts and the general public in informed, nuanced conversations about how to improve governance in our city. However, Mayor Adams' charter overhaul process has a different agenda: to increase the mayor's power and further shield law enforcement from accountability.

Why was Mayor Adams' Charter Commission anti-democratic?

The recent Charter Revision Commission arose from Mayor Adams' desire to prevent New Yorkers from voting on whether further appointments to his executive agencies should be subject to City Council approval. This would have meant more control over the work of city authorities. In addition to blocking this proposal, the mayor sought to use the commission to weaken the City Council and punish it for exercising its authority to pass important public safety and economic justice legislation. These measures include the How Many Stops Act, which brings much-needed transparency to the activities of NYPD officers, banning inhumane solitary confinement in city jails, and protecting rental assistance for poor and working-class New Yorkers.

While previous charter commissions held hearings over several months to include as many New Yorkers as possible, Adams called for a revision commission with a schedule so rushed that the vast majority of New Yorkers didn't even know it was happening. The Mayor announced the Commission on May 21, 2024, and the Commission held its first input meeting on June 5, accepted public comments through July 12, and completed ballot questions on the proposed charter changes on July 25.

Over the course of a few weeks, the mayor's hand-picked commissioners conducted a mock trial, holding only a handful of poorly attended public input sessions. What ultimately ended up on the ballot was simply that Adams' inner circle had approved his dangerous proposals.

What did the Charter Commission propose and why should voters reject these proposals?

The Charter Revision Commission's rushed and malicious process resulted in harmful charter changes that would give Mayor Adams more unchecked power at the expense of everyday New Yorkers and their elected officials. They would also make city agencies like the NYPD and the Department of Corrections even less accountable to the public than they already are.

Other amendments go further. They would make it much more difficult for the City Council to pass laws that benefit low-income New Yorkers, such as bills providing child care and housing vouchers.

The changes would also expand tougher enforcement measures against street vendors, who are already being targeted by multiple authorities with violence and unfair treatment.

Finally, the changes would further criminalize poverty by expanding the authority of the Department of Sanitation to target cruel and counterproductive homeless operations against unhoused New Yorkers.

New York voters must vote no on a 2-6 count

At a time of growing concern about the integrity of the Adams administration, these changes represent an irresponsible and dangerous attempt to give more power to the mayor. The City Charter is too important to be changed through a rushed, cynical and politically motivated process.

One of the most important ways to defend democracy and protect all New Yorkers is to vote “NO” on proposals two through six in November.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is part of New Yorkers Defending Democracy, a coalition of civil rights groups, community groups and everyday New Yorkers of all backgrounds and counties who are coming together to defend democracy and Mayor Adams' undemocratic power grab in the November vote to defeat.