Following in former Mayor Eric Adams’ footsteps, Mayor Mamdani created his own Charter Revision Commission. It was quickly and awkwardly formed, rushed through a few hearings and came up with five (5) questions. Once again, these questions are NOT in the public interest: they are all about consolidating even more power under the Mayor and removing the public entirely from the process.
The short answer is: VOTE NO ON ALL BALLOT PROPOSALS. NO, NO, NO, NO & NO.
But, by all means, please do your own research to decide if that’s what you want to do.
These are the Proposals directly as posted on the Mayor’s official website (which means you probably shouldn’t believe them…my comments are directly below in BOLD ITALICIZED CAPITAL LETTERS):
Question #1: Speed Up Timeline for Using Public Space – Including Outdoor Dining, Ramps and Benches
- Cut the 8-month outdoor dining application process by 75% (to 2 months)
- Save small businesses up to $1,800 on application costs and thousands of dollars of staff time
The Commission’s proposal would modify the revocable consent process that determines the use of public space by combining the sidewalk cafĂ© and roadway dining revocable consent process into a single application and modernizing public notice requirements.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU WANT MORE PARKING SPACES TAKEN AWAY FOR ROADWAY DINING SHEDS WITH ZERO INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY, VOTE YES.
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Question #2 and related non-Charter reforms: Reform the Contracting Process to Improve Procurements, including for Small Business and Nonprofits
- Ballot prop will save up to 30 days on procurements
- Internal reforms to cut qualified nonprofit procurement time by more than half (13 months to 6)
The Commission’s proposal would reduce burdens on small businesses and nonprofits by simplifying the pre-contracting questionnaire and requiring quarterly meetings of the Procurement Policy Board (PBB) to ensure consistent and transparent regulation of the City’s procurement system. The proposal would also allow the Mayor to delegate certain contract approvals to agencies, make permanent a public comment period instead of a public hearing for contract awards and streamline the issuance of the client service plan.
Beyond ballot props, the City will also begin to move nonprofit Council discretionary awards from procurements to grants, an approach that in pilot stage has shown to cut time to payment from 10 to six months. The City will also begin to competitively procure umbrella agreements with nonprofits to create pools of qualified, pre-vetted nonprofit providers eligible to receive future project-specific task orders, helping save up to seven months off a 13-month process. When approaching procurement, COGE took seriously its commitment to the labor force, both public and private sector, and specifically formulated recommendations that preserve all existing labor standards.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU WANT EVEN LESS TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC INPUT ON BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CONTRACTS, PUTTING MORE CONTROL IN THE HANDS OF THE MAYOR WITH NO OVERSIGHT, VOTE YES.
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Question #3: Fast-Track Street Safety Infrastructure Including Bike Lanes, Acquisition of Office Space and Activation of City Land
- Speed up street safety projects, including bike lanes, by at least 33%
- Reduce time for sale of small plots of City land from seven months to 90 days
- Unlock more than $200 million in revenue for the City from sale of small surplus lots
The Commission’s third proposal streamlines how the City uses its own property. The proposal would simplify review of street safety projects to reduce construction timelines and allow the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation to fast-track critical street infrastructure improvements where there is an identified, immediate safety need. Additionally, this ballot question fast-tracks the sale or lease of small City properties, the air rights above landmarked City properties and the lease of office space for City workers.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU WANT MORE AND MORE BIKE LANES, ENDLESS TERRIBLE ROAD REDESIGNS THAT PURPOSEFULLY CREATES MORE TRAFFIC AND CONTINUES THE WAR ON CARS AND PEDESTRIANS TO BENEFIT E-BIKES AND MOPEDS, MORE OF YOUR CITY-OWNED LAND SOLD OR LEASED TO QUESTIONABLE DEVELOPERS OR OTHER PARTIES WITH NO OVERSIGHT FOR SWEETHEART DEALS, AND SALE OF AIR RIGHTS FROM CITY-OWNED LANDMARKS GIVEN AWAY TO CREATE EVEN BIGGER MORE EXPENSIVE BUILDINGS, VOTE YES.
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Question #4: Simplify Building Permitting
- Bring 40 approvals from 18 separate offices and agencies into one place, saving builders time and frustration
The Commission’s proposal would create a centralized permitting hub through which applicants could access and manage construction-related permits and approvals across City agencies. It would also allow additional divisions at the Department of Buildings to approve certificates of occupancy and centralize the City’s waterfront permitting process within the agency.
IN OTHER WORDS, THIS WILL ALLOW THE BUILDING INDUSTRY TO HAVE EVEN MORE POWER, AND WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF CORRUPTION THROUGH A CENTRALIZED BUREAUCRACY WHICH STIFLES SPECIALIZED AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE WATERFRONT PERMITTING PROCESS. IF YOU WANT THAT, VOTE YES.
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Question #5 and Related Internal Reforms: Set Contributions Goals for Rainy Day Fund to Ensure Sufficient Budgetary Reserves
- Ballot prop establishes reserves target of 12%, aimed at ensuring long-term fiscal stability
- Internal reforms commit to review standard hires and promotions within 14 days and capital project initiation applications within 40 days
The fifth ballot proposal would set a target amount of funds held in reserve – 12% percent of the City’s total tax revenues. The proposal would also require the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Comptroller, to establish a deposit formula that would govern mandatory contributions to the rainy day fund. Beyond the ballot proposal, the City will also begin implementation of OMB service standards for the review of hirings and promotions as well as the review of capital project initiation applications.
IN OTHER WORDS…YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING. THIS PROPOSAL COMES AFTER MAYOR MAMDANI TRIED TO RAID THE RESERVE FUND OF $1.2 BILLION DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS AND ONLY DROPPED THIS WHEN GOVERNOR HOCHUL ULTIMATELY GAVE HIM BILLIONS (OF OUR TAX DOLLARS) TO BALANCE THE BUDGET. THIS CAN’T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY WHATSOEVER. BUT IF YOU WANT IT, VOTE YES.
CLEARLY, NONE OF THESE PROPOSALS SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. They are toxic – just as anti-democratic (with a small “d”) as what former Mayor Adams did last year with the Land Use Ballot questions that we are fighting in court and the 2024 ballot questions as well.
We are facing at both the City and State level an unprecedented attempt to lock the public out of input, review and disclosure of our government operations in the name of affordability, streamlining, etc. – all gaslighting tactics to take away your rights!
If you care about this, VOTE NO!
This public service announcement was brought to you by Paul Graziano and S.A.V.E. 1 Family New York. If we don't vote no against these ballot proposals, especially prop 3 which will give the Department of Transportation Alternatives totalitarian power over our streets, it will be the end of democracy and civics in New York City.-JQ LLC
