A panel full of familiar faces from Mayor Eric Adams’ administration lined the seats of the newly convened Charter Revision Commission.
The commission’s first meeting included Adams’ former press secretary, former senior advisor and former first deputy mayor.
What You Need To Know
On his last day in office, Mayor Eric Adams called a Charter Revision Commission, appointing many members of his administration
The commission held its first meeting on Monday that was mainly procedural, but the commission may be looking at open primaries as a potential ballot question
Mayor Mamdani has not provided any funding or resources to the panel. He does, however, have the power to name leadership positions and appoint two more members
“This will be an open public process, and we look forward to engaging New Yorkers once again every step of the way,” said Kayla Mamelak Altus, the commission’s acting secretary.
The commission was created by Adams on his final day in office. Critics say the commission’s goal may be to try to do away with political primaries in city races.
The group’s procedural meeting lasted about 10 minutes, with the main purpose being to vote on leadership positions.
Strategically, the positions had “acting” in front of the roles, a sign of potential legal conflicts to come. It is the current mayor who has the authority to appoint leadership roles.
“The statute does say that the mayor can appoint the chair. Mayor Adams did designate someone to potentially serve as the chair, but that person didn’t get his paperwork in on time,” Randy Mastro, pro-bono lawyer to the commission, said.
“You could have a dynamic where the leadership of this Charter Revision Commission is at odds with the rest of the commissioners and maybe actively working to wind it down or make its work virtually impossible,” Grace Rauh, Citizens Union’s executive director, said.
Rauh also pointed to concerns over funding and staffing, something that traditionally is provided by City Hall. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has not allocated any funds or resources to the commission.
“If this Charter Revision Commission is not receiving any public support from the city government, it begs the question: how will it do its work effectively? How will it do it in a way that is truly on behalf of New Yorkers and the government of New York City?”
Rauh said the complicated issues surrounding this commission almost make it likely there will be a legal battle over its standing.
Currently, there are 13 members on the commission. Mamdani has the ability to appoint two more members. NY1 reached out to City Hall for a comment but have heard back.
Despite the political concerns swirling around the commission, the members insist they are doing a job on behalf of New Yorkers and not their former boss.
“We are not going into this, though it’s being portrayed as us versus them. That’s not the way we see it. We welcome their input, and we would like to hope that they too want what’s best for New Yorkers,” Altus said.