Charter Revision Commission Dissolution Authority — Mamdani Asks Albany for Power to Shut Down Adams's Final-Day Commission Before Jun 1 Deadline
Mamdani used dissolution authority granted in the Wed May 27 state budget (ELFA) to kill Adams's last-day Charter Revision Commission the same day and substitute his own Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE). Chair: Patrick Gaspard. Executive Director: Ann Cheng. First public meeting: Thu Jun 4, 5 PM at City Hall. First public hearing: Tue Jun 9, 5 PM; 9 additional borough hearings to be scheduled. Output: charter amendments for Nov ballot. Frame: "make government work better." Adams CRC had held its own first hearing at Albert Einstein Bronx Wed May 27 night, hours before dissolution filed.
Adams created the Charter Revision Commission on his literal final day in office — a transparent lame-duck move to tie his successor's hands. An incoming mayor should not be bound to a predecessor's parting political maneuver.
Retroactively dissolving a legally constituted commission already holding public hearings — through a state budget provision passed without public debate — sets a dangerous precedent for future mayors to erase their predecessors' democratic processes.