Course Of Bloomberg's Charter Commission Still Uncharted

Now that the NYC mayor's election is over, we want to know what had come of the Bloomberg administration’s promise to form a 2010 charter review commission—a promise that paved the way for a third Bloomberg term.

Given the still simmering anger over the term-limits extension, most observers believe that Bloomberg will not break his promise to put a measure on the 2010 ballot, which would settle— perhaps once and for all—whether the city’s term limits should be repealed or set at two terms or three.

Good-government advocates say that if Bloomberg is indeed serious about a sweeping charter review, appointing a chair who is seen as independent from the mayor would be a critical first step. (The chair of a 2005 commission, Ester Fuchs, had been serving as a senior advisor to Bloomberg.) The three commissions Bloomberg has formed during his tenure have largely consisted of close allies.

If there is to be a commission, Bloomberg would call it, and as mayor, he has exclusive authority over how many people—up to 15—to appoint, as well as who those people are. The mayor also picks the chair of the commission and sets the agenda.

But under " Sec. 36 of NYS Municipal Home Rule law also gives the City Council the power to call a commission (paragraph 2), and allows for a commission to be created by petition of the voters (paragraph 3).

Michael H. Drucker
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