RESOLUTIONS

May 28, 2025

Hon. Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Albany, NY 12247

Hon. Carl Heastie

Dear Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie,

On behalf of The New York City Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy, I am writing to urge you to bring S590/A3665 to the floor for a vote and send to the Governor for signature before the end of the 2025 legislative session.

This bill is not just a procedural fix—it is a necessary correction to a long-standing injustice that undermines our democratic process. S.590/A.3665 would repeal a provision that effectively allows the mayor (of any city, not solely New York City) to silence other voices by blocking all other referendum proposals from the ballot when a mayoral charter revision commission places its own proposal on the ballot. At our April 29th public hearing at the Queens Public Library in Flushing, the Commission unanimously passed the attached resolution in full support of this legislation.

The City Charter is our local constitution and therefore shapes how power is structured, how services are delivered, and how the people of this city can hold government accountable. Charter revision commissions like the NYC Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy are a critical tool for civic engagement and grassroots democracy. But right now, a loophole in state law allows one office—the mayor—to control the timing and content of public votes on city governance.

The “bumping” rule embedded in Section 36 of the NYS Municipal Home Rule Law has been used time and again to shut down public debate. In 1998, in 2024, and likely again in 2025, mayor-appointed commissions have wielded this power to prevent the public from considering charter amendments the mayoral administration simply didn’t like it.

That is why some version of this bill has been introduced in Albany since 1999. We’ve known for 25 years that allowing a single branch of city government to unilaterally block the public from weighing in on vital governance issues is fundamentally anti-democratic. It invites political gamesmanship, disenfranchises communities, and erodes the public’s trust in the charter revision process. It’s time to put a stop to it.

The Legislature has a chance right now to stand on the side of open government and voter empowerment. Pass S.590/A.3665 this session. Restore fairness. Strengthen local democracy. Let the people decide.

Sincerely,

Danielle Castaldi-Micca

View and download the full Letter to Leadership from The Commission

View and download the full Resolution A.590/A.3665