Charter revision commission starts its public sham

From The Wonkster:

The city Charter Revision Commission has decided on a schedule of public hearings to be held during April in each of the five boroughs. The commission said it “will receive testimony from members of the public on any aspect of the charter” part of the general theme that this time around, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg has put it, “every issue will be on the table.”

As to whether the hearings will actually affect the commission’s recommendations, stay tuned. The final meaning, on April 20 in Brooklyn Heights, will precede the commission’s next public meeting.

In other charter commission news, The Staten Island Advance is reporting that Francis Barry, a close aide to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will get the job.

Like his boss, Barry is a big fan of non-partisan elections, an idea proposed by the 2003 charter commission only to be resoundingly rejected by the voters. Barry served as research director for that commission.

The appointment also could indicate that the charter will take more steps to strengthen the mayor’s office and departments at the expense of local control — something else Bloomberg tends to support (see mayoral control of schools.)

This entire process is a joke.