OP-ED: NYC Should Say “No” to Adams’ Corrupt Power Grab
New Yorkers preparing to vote will see a lot that’s familiar and a lot that isn’t on their ballots — especially on the propositions. Although the wording can get complicated to try and trip voters up, one thing is for sure: We should all vote “no” on propositions 2-6 because they will give us bad governance and a bad deal for years to come.
Over the past few months, we have heard about Project 2025 and how Trump and his cronies plan to systematically erode the systems that do not serve their interests or their donors. While Trump attempts this at a national level, a similarly insidious power grab is playing out here in New York City by our own mayor. If successful, it would grant future mayors unprecedented power while allowing them to add more bureaucratic hurdles that make it harder to pass meaningful legislation that New Yorkers need, want, and deserve.
This summer, Mayor Adams began an attempt to undermine democracy, rewrite how our local government works and block critical oversight of his office by launching an intentionally shady effort to rewrite the New York City charter, which is essentially our city’s constitution through Propositions 2-6.
Our city, like any other and the country itself, is guided by a set of rules in the charter that distinguishes who has what authority and in what areas they can use that power. In an attempt to amass more power, Adams appointed a City Charter Revision Commission stuffed with his closest allies to make a slapdash attempt to rewrite the charter this November.
Most prior charter revision commissions conducted hearings over several months, even over a year, to engage as many New Yorkers as possible. This committee process took only 7 weeks from the first hearing to final vote, and it is worth asking why: Adams created the charter commission to knock a City Council measure off the ballot. This proposal would have improved checks and balances and New York City’s democracy. Adams has shown his displeasure with challenges to his circle’s power, but New Yorkers deserve leadership that delivers sensible legislation, like the How Many Stops Act, which passed with a City Council override last year after Adams vetoed it. This is an example of good governance that we should all get behind, but Adams is often late to the party whenever we ask for more transparency from him and his friends.
New Yorkers will get to vote to say “no” to propositions 2-6, but if they are passed in November, these changes would erode separation of powers in city government while giving Adams’ administration and future mayors unchecked power. Here’s a look at what some of these changes would really do for and to New Yorkers:
- Proposal 2 expands the power of the Sanitation Department to police and fine small businesses, which would directly increase the likelihood that street vendors are criminalized instead of celebrated and supported.
- Proposal 3 makes the city’s budget process less transparent and delays budget deadlines for the mayor, giving less time for the public and oversight bodies to analyze and respond to budget proposals (like the mayor’s cuts to libraries, schools and pre-K). It also weakens checks and balances and creates new ways for mayors to derail initiatives they don’t like without having to answer publicly for opposing popular initiatives like child care and housing assistance.
- Proposal 4 erodes separation of powers and gives the Mayor, the Department of Corrections and NYPD unprecedented legislative powers (which isn’t their role in government), along with new ways to block transparency and accountability. At a time when New Yorkers are asking for more accountability for abusive officers from these agencies, this will give them the cover to hide behind.
- Proposal 5 is a misleading and virtually meaningless ballot proposition that was created in bad faith. The mayor’s charter commission claimed that Proposal 5 was based on a recommendation from the city’s Comptroller (the city’s top financial executive) — but the Comptroller issued a statement saying this was patently false and that the proposal does not advance transparency or improve the planning process in any way.
- Proposal 6 is an insulting name check on Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (MWOBs) while doing nothing to support them. The proposal would strip permitting power from current offices in government and consolidate those decisions into future mayors’ administrations. It does not improve the lives or experiences of MWOB owners, it just bundles their dreams into a box of bureaucracy. It is a collection of three totally unrelated issues that gives the illusion of support in an attempt to put window dressing on the full package of proposals.
These revisions are intentionally and carefully constructed to offer seemingly innocuous language about fiscal responsibility or clean streets, but in truth, they are the same kind of bad faith game-playing that had led to multiple investigations of Mayor Adams, his office and most of his top people. These dangerous power grabs will undermine oversight and democracy in New York City for years to come.
New Yorkers know a scam when they see one. This whole process has been undemocratic, and so too are all of the resulting ballot proposals. We also need to ask ourselves why — at a time when he and his closest allies are at the center of multiple investigations — we would give our mayor more unchecked power.
In so many ways, this upcoming election is about the New York City we deserve. Will we choose to allow this administration to seize more power or will we choose to say no to bad leadership and bad decisions? New Yorkers should look to defend democracy and good governance up and down the ballot in November. Vote “no” on Props 2-6, the Mayor’s five proposed ballot measures, because they are dangerous for democracy and dangerous for New York.
Rashad Robinson is president of Color Of Change, a racial justice organization with millions of members who demonstrate the power of Black communities every single day.
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