Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.

NYC Charter Revision Commission

Staten Island Public Input Session

Jun 23, 2025

·

05:00 PM

2 hr 48 min

Summary

A hearing on proposed charter revisions, focusing primarily on reforming the primary election system.

Discussions included:

  • Open primaries
  • Nonpartisan "top four" primaries
  • Streamlining the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)
  • Giving City Council members more authority in community board appointments
  • Moving city elections to even years

The commission plans to consider putting some proposals on the November ballot for voter approval.

Features testimony from various political organizations, community boards, city agencies, and the public.

Meeting chapters

Read summaries and watch videos for short segments that matter to you.

REMARKS

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. on the NYC Charter Revision Commission's mission and public hearing process

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. welcomes attendees to the public hearing of the New York City Charter Revision Commission. He outlines the commission's mission to review the entire charter and …

0:00:04

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Council Member Frank Morano from New York City Council on community board appointments

Council Member Frank Morano, speaking on behalf of himself and 11 other colleagues, urges the commission to amend the city charter. The proposed amendment would grant city council members binding …

0:06:17

5 min

Q&A

Council Member Frank Morano discusses support for the community board appointment proposal among council members

Commissioner Kathryn Wylde questions Council Member Frank Morano about why only 11 council members signed the letter supporting binding community board appointments. Council Member Morano suggests it's a mix of …

0:11:43

45 sec

Q&A

Council Member Frank Morano and Commissioner Diane Savino discuss the logistics of implementing shared community board appointment authority

Commissioner Diane Savino raises a logistical question about how community board appointments would be divided if a community board crosses multiple council districts, should Council Member Morano's proposal be adopted. …

0:12:32

118 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Sean Campion, Director of Housing and Economic Development Studies at Citizens Budget Commission, on streamlining ULURP

Sean Campion from the Citizens Budget Commission thanks the Charter Revision Commission for considering two of their previous recommendations to improve the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). He offers …

0:15:16

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Cliff Hagan, Candidate for New York City Council District 51, against minimizing ULURP

Cliff Hagan, a candidate for City Council District 51, expresses support for Council Member Morano's earlier recommendations but testifies against weakening the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). He argues …

0:18:33

3 min

Q&A

Commissioner Diane Savino and Candidate Cliff Hagan discuss ULURP flexibility and Staten Island's housing needs

Commissioner Diane Savino questions Cliff Hagan on whether some flexibility in the ULURP process could be found, suggesting that different-sized projects shouldn't be treated identically. She highlights the housing affordability …

0:22:25

176 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Jen Gaboury, Vice President of Professional Staff Congress, opposing open primaries

Jen Gaboury, Vice President of the Professional Staff Congress and a political scientist at Hunter College, testifies against changing to an open primary system. She argues that California's experience with …

0:25:41

174 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Diane Stiles, Director of All Stars Project of New York, in support of open primaries

Diane Stiles, Director of the All Stars Project of New York and a long-time independent voter, testifies in support of an open primary system. She finds it incomprehensible that over …

0:28:40

83 sec

Q&A

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. questions Professor Jen Gaboury on the impact of open primaries on voter turnout

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. asks Professor Jen Gaboury to clarify how opening the primary system to currently non-affiliated voters (around 20% of the electorate) could depress turnout. Professor Gaboury …

0:30:05

123 sec

Q&A

Commissioners and Professor Jen Gaboury debate the implications of open primaries for voter enfranchisement and party politics

Commissioner Diane Savino challenges Professor Jen Gaboury's opposition to open primaries, questioning the rationale for disenfranchising over a million New York City voters who are not registered with a party. …

0:32:13

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Cathy Stewart, Representative from Open Primaries, advocating for open primary reform

Cathy Stewart, representing Open Primaries, shares her personal experience as an independent voter who, for the first and only time in 33 years, felt her vote mattered in a nonpartisan …

0:36:56

177 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, on the need for consensus in primary reform

Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, highlights the lack of consensus on the appropriate form of primary reform, with various organizations proposing different models. She references a …

0:40:07

3 min

Q&A

Commissioners, Susan Lerner, and Cathy Stewart discuss the timing and process for primary election reform

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. questions Susan Lerner about the call for more time on primary reform, given the decades of consideration and the fact that any proposal would ultimately …

0:43:56

4 min

Q&A

Commissioner Leila Bozorg questions Susan Lerner on the feasibility of achieving consensus on open primaries with more time

Commissioner Leila Bozorg asks Susan Lerner why she believes more time would lead to consensus on open primary reform, given the existing research and varied viewpoints already presented. Susan Lerner …

0:48:30

48 sec

Q&A

Commissioner Kathryn Wylde and Susan Lerner discuss the history of opposition to open primaries

Susan Lerner states that organizations they work with, beyond the 27 on record, are asking for more information and time to understand open primary proposals, feeling uninformed. Commissioner Kathryn Wylde …

0:49:13

65 sec

Q&A

Commissioner Diane Savino and Susan Lerner discuss education on open primaries and hearing schedule

Commissioner Diane Savino questions Susan Lerner about the responsibility of Common Cause and other good government groups in educating organizations about open primaries, an issue that isn't new. Lerner responds …

0:50:20

162 sec

Q&A

Further debate on open primary models, timing, and voter engagement

Susan Lerner suggests that if the commission feels compelled to act, a semi-open primary would be the simplest and least disruptive option to enfranchise the 1.1 million non-affiliated voters. Chair …

0:53:04

168 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Vincent Albanese, Executive Director of New York State Laborers Political Action Committee, supporting open primaries

Vincent Albanese, Executive Director of the New York State Laborers Political Action Committee, expresses his union's support for changes to the current election system, specifically advocating for open primaries. He …

0:56:18

143 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Professor Richard Barton from Syracuse University on research supporting open primaries

Richard Barton, an Assistant Teaching Professor at Syracuse University and Senior Research Fellow at United America, presents research on primary elections and alternative systems. He states that evidence shows open/all-candidate …

0:58:57

3 min

Q&A

Commissioner Carl Weisbrod questions Professor Richard Barton on ranked-choice voting in open primaries and general election turnout

Commissioner Carl Weisbrod asks Professor Richard Barton about the impact of combining ranked-choice voting within an open primary system on subsequent general election turnout. Professor Barton responds that research on …

1:02:28

68 sec

Q&A

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. and Professor Richard Barton discuss voter engagement in scenarios with same-party general election candidates

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. asks Professor Richard Barton how to assess voter engagement if an open primary leads to two Democratic candidates in a general election (in a blue …

1:03:48

143 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Melanie La Rocca, Former Commissioner of the Department of Buildings, on streamlining development and permitting

Melanie La Rocca, former Commissioner of the Department of Buildings, supports the Charter Revision Commission's efforts to streamline the development process in New York City. She highlights the costly and …

1:06:30

4 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Jesse Lang on housing and election reform proposals

Jesse Lang, a housing policy professional and advocate testifying on her own behalf, expresses strong support for many housing reforms in the CRC preliminary report. She emphasizes the need for …

1:11:47

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Nicole Campo, Senior Advisor for Land Use Planning at Langan Engineering, on reforming the city map process

Nicole Campo, Senior Advisor for Land Use Planning at Langan Engineering and a former city planner, testifies on the need to reform the official city map process. She describes the …

1:14:54

3 min

Q&A

Nicole Campo elaborates on proposed reforms for the New York City map system

Nicole Campo, in response to a question about specific reforms for the city map, reiterates the need to centralize the official city map, ideally in a digital, accessible format. She …

1:18:12

89 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Bob Kelly, Political Action Representative for the Building Industry Association of New York City, on mapping reform and housing affordability

Bob Kelly, representing the Building Industry Association of New York City (BIANY), thanks the commission and city agencies for their work on reforming the city mapping process. He describes the …

1:20:17

4 min

Q&A

Commissioner Diane Savino and Bob Kelly discuss how ULURP affects housing project viability

Commissioner Diane Savino asks Bob Kelly about the potential for expediting the ULURP process for certain projects and its impact on builders. Kelly confirms that the current ULURP process deters …

1:24:26

127 sec

Q&A

Bob Kelly suggests charter changes for concurrent development approvals to Shams DaBaron

Commissioner Shams DaBaron asks Bob Kelly for specific charter changes that could help address development delays. Kelly suggests that more of the filing process could be done concurrently rather than …

1:26:40

162 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by L. Joy Williams, President of NAACP New York State Conference, on the need for more community engagement on open primary proposals

L. Joy Williams, President of the NAACP New York State Conference, urges the commission to slow down its consideration of open primary electoral reforms. She argues that while the question …

1:30:03

3 min

Q&A

Commissioner Shams DaBaron and L. Joy Williams discuss enfranchising unaffiliated voters of color

Commissioner Shams DaBaron questions L. Joy Williams on how to reconcile the current exclusion of a significant number of unaffiliated voters, including many young Black and brown individuals, from primaries …

1:33:36

3 min

Q&A

Cathy Stewart questions L. Joy Williams on the implications of delaying open primary reforms for disenfranchised voters

Cathy Stewart from Open Primaries (S:11, though unusual for a panelist to ask another, the transcript indicates this) asks L. Joy Williams about the implications of waiting for further study …

1:37:01

3 min

Q&A

Commissioner Valerie White and L. Joy Williams discuss the growing unaffiliated voter population and voter education

Commissioner Valerie White notes the increasing trend of voters registering as unaffiliated and asks L. Joy Williams for her thoughts on ensuring voters understand the ramifications if an open primary …

1:40:12

3 min

Q&A

Chair Buery, L. Joy Williams, and Commissioner Wylde extensively discuss the process and urgency of open primary reform

Chair Richard R. Buery Jr. explores the tension between waiting for more education on open primaries and the risk that a future commission might not put the issue to voters. …

1:44:02

6 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Rachel Fauss, Senior Policy Advisor for Reinvent Albany, on election reforms including even-year elections and top-four primaries

Rachel Fauss, Senior Policy Advisor for Reinvent Albany, testifies in favor of major changes to the NYC voting process, advocating for moving city elections to even years and implementing a …

1:51:06

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Grace Rauh, Executive Director of Citizens Union, supporting even-year elections and open primaries

Grace Rauh, Executive Director of Citizens Union, urges the commission to advance proposals for even-year elections and open primaries for the November ballot. She highlights the growing success and acceptance …

1:54:23

3 min

Q&A

Commissioner Shams DaBaron questions Grace Rauh on the impact of open primaries on African American voters

Commissioner Shams DaBaron asks Grace Rauh to address concerns that open primaries might diminish the African American vote. Rauh responds that the over one million disenfranchised unaffiliated voters are a …

1:58:13

84 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Professor Seth Masket from the University of Denver on the effects of top-two primary systems

Professor Seth Masket from the University of Denver discusses research on all-party top-two election systems, focusing on their purported benefits of reducing polarization and increasing primary turnout. He notes that …

2:00:21

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Valerie De La Rosa, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 2, on ULURP and community input

Valerie De La Rosa, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 2, testifies on behalf of the board, expressing concerns about proposed ULURP changes. The board opposes reducing ULURP review times from …

2:04:03

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Celia Iervasi, Member of the Public, on council member appointments to community boards

Celia Iervasi, a member of the public, testifies in favor of allowing city council members to appoint half of the members to community boards. She shares her personal experience of …

2:08:03

126 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Charles Moerdler, Chair of Land Use Committee for Bronx Community Board 8, against reducing community input in ULURP

Charles Moerdler, Chair of the Land Use Committee for Bronx Community Board 8, speaks on behalf of the board, which unanimously opposes any reduction in the roles of community boards, …

2:10:34

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Don Hulbert, Member of the Public, in support of open primaries

Don Hulbert, a long-time resident and independent voter since 1981, urges the commission to put a measure for open primaries on the November ballot. He shares his personal story, including …

2:14:52

167 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Cynthia Terrell, Founder and Director of RepresentWomen, on primary systems and women's representation

Cynthia Terrell, Founder and Director of RepresentWomen, discusses the impact of election systems on women's representation, highlighting the success of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in New York City. She notes that …

2:17:54

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by David Cherry, President of Chicago Faith Leaders Network, in favor of open primaries

David Cherry, President of the Leaders Network in Chicago and a native New Yorker, advocates for open primaries based on his upbringing as an independent activist in Harlem and his …

2:21:27

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Deborah Green, Member of the Public, advocating for open primaries to broaden voter participation

Deborah Green, a Queens resident and long-time independent political activist, testifies in favor of open primaries. She shares that she switched her registration to Democrat about ten years ago solely …

2:24:51

3 min

Q&A

Commissioner Shams DaBaron thanks David Cherry and Deborah Green, highlighting the potential for new coalitions

Commissioner Shams DaBaron thanks both David Cherry and Deborah Green for their testimony. He specifically highlights David Cherry's point about open primaries allowing for "new coalitions with new people" as …

2:28:07

29 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Alexander Rabb, General Counsel for the Working Families Party, on the unconstitutionality of jungle and open primaries in New York

Alexander Rabb, General Counsel for the Working Families Party, argues that a "jungle primary" (top-two or top-four) would violate the New York State Constitution by preventing parties from nominating the …

2:28:50

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Rob Richie, President of Expand Democracy, comparing top-two and top-four primary systems

Rob Richie, President of Expand Democracy and co-founder of FairVote, advocates for expanding ranked-choice voting (RCV) to November general elections rather than moving away from it. He strongly favors a …

2:32:28

3 min

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Natalia Aristizabal from Make the Road New York against the "Final Four" primary system

Natalia Aristizabal from Make the Road New York and Make the Road Action testifies against implementing a "Final Four" (top-four) jungle primary system in New York City. She argues that …

2:36:05

178 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Eric Bronner, Founder and COO of Veterans for All Voters, supporting open and unified primaries

Eric Brunner, founder of Veterans for All Voters and a lifelong independent voter, urges the commission to refer a fully open and unified primary system to voters. He highlights that …

2:39:22

3 min

Q&A

Commissioner Shams DaBaron inquires about Eric Bronner's residency and acknowledges veteran voter data

Commissioner Shams DaBaron asks Eric Bronner if he is a resident of New York. Bronner clarifies he is a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, but is testifying on behalf of …

2:42:40

40 sec

TESTIMONY

Testimony by Rob Anglin, Member of the Public, opposing jungle primaries due to lack of evidence for moderation

Rob Anglin, an ordinary citizen, testifies in opposition to final four/top four jungle primaries for New York City local elections. He challenges the claim that such systems lead to the …

2:43:42

3 min

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