Having approved two-term limits for their public officials in 1993 and 1996 public referenda -- and having expressed sustained anger at the legislative charter change adopted by the City Council and signed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2008 -- city residents voted overwhelmingly to reinstate a two-term limit.
Less noted, but perhaps as significant, voters approved Charter Revision Question #2 (83%-17%) by even greater margins than they did term limits (74%-26%).
What have we learned from the process and outcomes of this year's Charter Revision Commission and past Commissions? What important issues have been left on the table for future consideration?
The research done on past Charter Revision Commissions by Professor Douglas Muzzio and the recent Charter Revision experiences of Commissioner Hope Cohen will combine for a stimulating discussion of what specific changes need to be made by future Charter Revision Commissions to make this City function more effectively, efficiently and fairly.
Date: Monday, October 4, 2010
Time: Registration opens at 5:30 p.m. Program begins at 6:00 p.m.
Venue: 33 West 60th Street (between Broadway & Columbus), 5th floor
To RSVP, email info@wccny.org or call 212-353-8070 x201 and provide your name, phone number and email address. This program is free and open to the public.
New election machines making their debut in citywide elections next month may sharply limit how many questions the New York City Charter Revision Commission can fit on the ballot this November. The issue is prompting serious concerns that voters won't be able to pass individual judgments on the myriad issues slated for review this fall.
The Charter Revision Commission is expected to approve ballot questions during a meeting at Baruch College beginning Monday night at 6 p.m.
Facing intense anger two years ago as he lobbied to run for a third term, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg made a promise. Rewrite the term-limits law now, he told critics, and voters would get a chance to weigh in on the issue later.
The public, however, may not have the definitive voice that the mayor once pledged.
A fiery debate has erupted in the aftermath of the decision last week by the Charter Revision Commission, a 15-member group appointed by Mr. Bloomberg, to protect incumbents from a change to the term-limits law.
When New Yorkers go to the polls in November they can expect to find a question about term limits on the ballot.
The city's Charter Revision Commission is expected to ask voters to return to a two-term limit for elected officials, doing away with the extension approved by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council in 2008.
But the commission hasn't yet decided whether any change to the law should take effect immediately, preventing lawmakers in their second term from seeking a third.
"That does promise to be the most open question and perhaps the subject of the most heated debate tomorrow night," said Charter Revision Commission Member Hope Cohen.
