City voters approve charter amendments

November 6, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CITYWIDE – NEW YORKERS ON Tuesday voted yes on several amendments to the city’s charter that will grant more power to City Hall, over criticism by the City Council, reports the Daily News. Ballot questions 2, 3, 4 and 5 were approved by wide margins, while question 6 was rejected.

The approved measures will expand the authority of the Sanitation Department, require the Council to obtain cost estimates before hearing new legislation, mandate thirty days of notice before the Council votes on any legislation related to policing or public safety, and add extra detail to the city’s yearly facilities and infrastructure self-assessment. Question 6 would have amended the City Charter to include the position of chief business diversity officer, as well as centralizing control over film permits and the city archives.

The Council had previously rejected these proposals, characterizing them as a power grab by the Adams administration, which has frequently sparred with the Council over policy differences.

As City Hall on Tuesday hailed the “overwhelming success” of the ballot measures, critics balked: Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said that “there is serious work needed to protect our local democracy from a mayor willing to disregard norms in the pursuit of power that removes checks and balances;” while the NYCLU wrote in a statement that “An important next step will be reforming the City Charter revision process to make sure this kind of deceptive mayoral power grab can’t happen again.”

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