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Criticisms of recent charter revision process initiated by Mayor Adams
0:43:14
ยท
6 min
Professor Lane criticizes the recent charter revision process initiated by Mayor Adams as a politically motivated attempt to block the council's proposed legislation on expanded confirmation processes.
- The commission was created to stop the public from voting on the council's proposed legislation
- The commission was seen as lacking independence and being controlled by the mayor
- There was inadequate public education about the proposed changes
- The process was described as a 'joke' compared to the seriousness of charter revision
Professor Eric Lane
0:43:14
I think I do think you should always be looking at that.
0:43:18
So 35 years is a lot of time.
0:43:20
And so after 35 years, it strikes me is that would be a very good thing to look at.
0:43:28
Important thing to look at.
0:43:30
I do think that you tried to address that in the legislation which led which was the only reason that I could tell, which for the mayor's most recent charter commission, was to stop you from going forward with that and actually to stop the public from having an opportunity to vote on that secure legislation for the the expanded confirmation process, which, as I said, makes a lot of sense to me and and the way you did it as well.
0:43:58
I think, you know, it has to go to referendum because it's reducing the power of an elected official, and therefore, the public went ahead of the opportunity to vote on that.
0:44:09
And yet, they were denied this opportunity by the creation of a commission, which really There's no way I mean, I'm sure I live very nice people on that information.
0:44:19
I've known Hazel Dukes, for example, since I started in politics in 1970 in Nassau County.
0:44:26
So I've known for a long time.
0:44:29
And But, you know, it's just there was no reason for it to exist, and they acted basically understanding that, and they were totally stamped by the mayor.
0:44:39
So there was no chance for any independent nonmayorally approved work to be done.
0:44:47
And now the public's gonna vote on things that they're gonna you know, basically, have no idea what they're voting on.
0:44:54
There's no education campaign.
0:44:56
Here's nothing.
0:44:57
So I totally agree with it.
0:44:59
So to me, that was a joke.
0:45:02
This is a serious matter.
0:45:06
I think the confirmation things for 1 and everything to do with the appointment process given the crisis in the city right now is required and, you know, more checks obviously have to come from that.
0:45:19
There are actually you know, and then the council has to promise to do its work where it's necessary, but the opportunity for doing its work through the confirmation process, I think, is a very good beginning.
0:45:33
I also think in the budget, I I shared we tried Speaker Credit talked about revenues.
0:45:42
We I I as I recall, we tried to do something about about that, but not obviously to I I don't know.
0:45:49
I there was a bet long discussion about it in the commission, in public.
0:45:54
If anybody wants to see it, they're transcripts are in all the major libraries.
0:45:58
But, you know, whether you I think there has to be more involvement by the council in the revenue choice.
0:46:07
I also think the council could improve could really do itself some good.
0:46:12
Although, it's hard to do what I'm about to say, and I and I had this discussion years ago with speaker queen, and that is in various councils to the speaker.
0:46:24
This whole idea about line items was a big deal when we did it.
0:46:27
We required more line item in the budget.
0:46:32
There were demands made back and forth between the the council council's office the corporation council over the years, but they would always end up getting collapsed, as I said before, by the the rush to get the budget done at the end.
0:46:47
And so then there became a deal so the process points got lost.
0:46:52
And I see how that happens.
0:46:53
I'm, you know, I've been in politics.
0:46:55
I've gotta do these things myself.
0:46:56
I understand as well, but I do think there would be a real improvement in transparency.
0:47:04
You know, if the if the line item things were taken more seriously.
0:47:08
And certainly through the land use, through the budgeting process, I think there's areas really to increase council power.
0:47:16
And I I do but on one the other thing that does bother me And I think I've spoken to a speaker Quinn about this years ago, and certainly her successor didn't go avail with her successor.
0:47:31
I I have not liked I tried, like, anything to stop the council the possibility for council members to have effectively veto power over projects, smaller projects that are in their district.
0:47:47
I thought that was a very bad use of legislative power doesn't involve the entire counsel as a policy making body involves one member and, you know, treating between members.
0:47:59
You stop this project.
0:48:01
They'll vote.
0:48:01
They'll help you stop another project.
0:48:03
And we got you know, I lost that battle.
0:48:08
We had this crazy thing called the triple know, which I really loved, but it was crazy.
0:48:12
And that got that got changed at the last moment, not in the last days.
0:48:19
It's as big radars was referring.
0:48:21
But in the last part of the session, because of Ruth Messenger and other lobby invite, I even miss Werner, who I wanna say hello to, I didn't know she was on the panel.
0:48:33
I think common cause was involved in that and lobbying us to get rid of that.
0:48:38
The way it got resolved was that speaker of the law and hit promise on their deal.
0:48:43
And then you're being you said the land use committee under her leadership that they would not allow individual members to stop projects for a low you know, not in my backyard scaffolding with, you know, the obvious are gonna have a voice in it, but they weren't able to be doing.
0:48:59
I I think under speaker queen's successor is my recollection.
0:49:05
This has now become more habitual than I would have wanted.
0:49:09
So I think that ought to be looked at.
0:49:10
I don't know if it's caught it did cause a problem for a while.
0:49:13
I don't know if it's a problem now.
0:49:16
Something I would think about looking at.
0:49:17
But again, I haven't really paid attention to the details of city governance for about 5 years.
0:49:24
So,