Eric Adams Considering Another Clash with City Council
A new initiative from the mayor’s office aimed at amending the city charter may hinder the council's objectives.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — Aides and allies of Mayor Eric Adams have been in discussions about initiating a charter revision commission in 2025, which would further obstruct any City Council attempts to increase its authority over agency head appointments.
Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference and vice chair of the mayor’s 2024 charter revision commission, acknowledged that there have been internal talks regarding the establishment of another commission next year. “So many issues came up before us that were important,” she stated. “And we thought that we could not address all of them in the time we had.”
The final report of the current commission, which outlined the questions to be placed before voters in the Nov. 5 general election, included potential topics such as nonpartisan primaries and sanctuary city laws for future consideration.
However, reopening the City Charter for a second consecutive year would further complicate efforts by lawmakers to present their own issues to voters. Earlier this spring, the council announced intentions to expand its advice and consent authority to cover an additional 20 agency heads, up from the current two. This change would require voter approval.
Following this announcement, Adams revealed his own charter revision commission, which effectively barred the council’s proposal from the ballot due to state statutes. At that time, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a fellow Democrat, strongly opposed the mayor's move, labeling it a power grab aimed at undermining the council’s legislation, and accused him of wanting to be “a king.”
Now, it seems the scenario may be repeating itself.
On Monday, Speaker Adams announced plans, as previously reported by Gothamist, to introduce legislation to establish a charter revision commission for the next year, aimed at enhancing government transparency. However, if no unexpected developments occur, another initiative from the mayor could significantly weaken both the advice and consent bill and the speaker’s broader charter commission efforts.
“If the mayor convened a commission that placed a question on the November 2025 ballot, then advice and consent could not appear,” noted Louis Cholden-Brown, a former City Council attorney who was once involved with a charter revision commission. “And in that scenario, the commission proposed by Speaker Adams would similarly not be able to place proposals on the ballot.”
A spokesperson for City Hall did not confirm whether the mayor intends to establish another commission, but instead emphasized the accomplishments of this year’s expedited efforts. "Through the Charter Revision Commission, a procedure codified in the city's laws, we gave working-class New Yorkers from all walks of life the opportunity to share their vision for a safer, more affordable city,” spokesperson Liz Garcia said in a statement. “We are excited for millions of New Yorkers to flip their ballots and weigh in on these proposals this November."
This backdrop seemed to resonate with the council speaker. “After the Mayor’s rushed commission undermined norms of good governance and now seeks to mislead New Yorkers via Proposals 2 – 6 on this year’s ballot, it is crucial to prevent this anomaly from becoming a new baseline that normalizes attacks to weaken our local democracy,” Speaker Adams remarked in a statement on Monday. “I look forward to uniting all stakeholders and New Yorkers to advance a process that prioritizes strengthening our city rather than political gamesmanship.”
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
Hazel Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference and vice chair of the mayor’s 2024 charter revision commission, acknowledged that there have been internal talks regarding the establishment of another commission next year. “So many issues came up before us that were important,” she stated. “And we thought that we could not address all of them in the time we had.”
The final report of the current commission, which outlined the questions to be placed before voters in the Nov. 5 general election, included potential topics such as nonpartisan primaries and sanctuary city laws for future consideration.
However, reopening the City Charter for a second consecutive year would further complicate efforts by lawmakers to present their own issues to voters. Earlier this spring, the council announced intentions to expand its advice and consent authority to cover an additional 20 agency heads, up from the current two. This change would require voter approval.
Following this announcement, Adams revealed his own charter revision commission, which effectively barred the council’s proposal from the ballot due to state statutes. At that time, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a fellow Democrat, strongly opposed the mayor's move, labeling it a power grab aimed at undermining the council’s legislation, and accused him of wanting to be “a king.”
Now, it seems the scenario may be repeating itself.
On Monday, Speaker Adams announced plans, as previously reported by Gothamist, to introduce legislation to establish a charter revision commission for the next year, aimed at enhancing government transparency. However, if no unexpected developments occur, another initiative from the mayor could significantly weaken both the advice and consent bill and the speaker’s broader charter commission efforts.
“If the mayor convened a commission that placed a question on the November 2025 ballot, then advice and consent could not appear,” noted Louis Cholden-Brown, a former City Council attorney who was once involved with a charter revision commission. “And in that scenario, the commission proposed by Speaker Adams would similarly not be able to place proposals on the ballot.”
A spokesperson for City Hall did not confirm whether the mayor intends to establish another commission, but instead emphasized the accomplishments of this year’s expedited efforts. "Through the Charter Revision Commission, a procedure codified in the city's laws, we gave working-class New Yorkers from all walks of life the opportunity to share their vision for a safer, more affordable city,” spokesperson Liz Garcia said in a statement. “We are excited for millions of New Yorkers to flip their ballots and weigh in on these proposals this November."
This backdrop seemed to resonate with the council speaker. “After the Mayor’s rushed commission undermined norms of good governance and now seeks to mislead New Yorkers via Proposals 2 – 6 on this year’s ballot, it is crucial to prevent this anomaly from becoming a new baseline that normalizes attacks to weaken our local democracy,” Speaker Adams remarked in a statement on Monday. “I look forward to uniting all stakeholders and New Yorkers to advance a process that prioritizes strengthening our city rather than political gamesmanship.”
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
