Voters could be given the option to vote on removing NYC mayors from office
The Brief
A Charter Revision Commission recommended that voters be given the opportunity to vote on a new removal process for New York City mayors.
As of today, there are two ways a New York City mayor can be removed.
"Staff recommend that the Commission consider creating a process for mayoral removal beyond those currently available to the Governor or Committee on Mayoral Inability."
NEW YORK CITY - New Yorkers could soon have the power to remove sitting New York City mayors over misconduct.
What we know
A Charter Revision Commission, the NYC Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy, recommended that voters be given the opportunity to vote on a new removal process for New York City mayors.
For context, Charter Revision Commissions are temporarily appointed government bodies that review the New York City Charter, which is essentially the framework for how the city is governed. These commissions can propose changes to the charter that are then voted upon by the public in a general election.
Click to open this PDF in a new window.
The Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy met on June 6 – one of the changes proposed is granting the New York City Council the ability to begin the process of removing a mayor.
"Staff recommend that the Commission consider creating a process for mayoral removal beyond those currently available to the Governor or Committee on Mayoral Inability," reads one portion of the Preliminary Staff Report released.
The process in mind would allow the Council to file mayoral misconduct charges with a supermajority vote (over two-thirds), then hold a hearing for the mayor in question to respond to said misconduct charges. The findings would be decided upon by another supermajority vote – after that point, it would be in the hands of the voters.
A ballot question on whether to remove the sitting mayor would be presented to the voters – only a majority, not a supermajority, would be required to remove the mayor.
Read the entire updated list of recommendations, including the aforementioned process, here.
As of today, there are two ways a New York City mayor can be removed.
The New York governor is able to serve a NYC mayor with charges, after which said mayor would have a chance to defend themself – the governor would then decide personally whether to remove them.
The alternative is a bit more complicated.
The City Charter cites that a special committee can be assembled to remove a mayor: an inability committee.
This committee would comprise the corporation counsel, the city comptroller and the speaker of the City Council, as well as the borough president who has served the most consecutive years in office and the deputy mayor.
Four of the five members would have to vote to remove the mayor.
Who they are
This specific Charter Revision Commission (CRC) was created by the City Council in November 2024.
It has 17 commissioners, nine of which are appointed by the Council speaker; the remaining commissioners are appointed by the mayor, public advocate, comptroller and the five borough presidents.
The panel will hold hearings about its suggested recommendations, then issue a final report later on.
The backstory
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced earlier this year that she would not use her authority to remove New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office – the calls for Adams' removal came after New York prosecutors were directed by the U.S. Department of Justice to "dismiss" federal criminal charges that had been made against Adams
Adams had been accused of accepting luxury travel perks and illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in exchange for political favors, including helping Turkish officials resolve city approvals for a diplomatic building in Manhattan.
The Source
This article includes information from several New York City government offices and an updated list of recommendations made by the NYC Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy.
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Politico
5 hours ago
- Politico
Debate day, part II
Presented by With help from Cris Seda Chabrier Seven candidates will face off tonight in the second and final televised debate of the Democratic mayoral primary — a last chance for the mayoral hopefuls to make their case directly to voters before June 24. NY1 will air and moderate the faceoff, alongside WNYC and The CITY — and the fire may be directed at Zohran Mamdani as well as Andrew Cuomo, who took most of the heat in last week's debate. The candidates will be doing so as a stunning new poll, first reported by POLITICO, showed Mamdani narrowly defeating Cuomo, 35 percent to 31 percent, in a head-to-head that didn't account for ranked-choice voting. Yes, it's just one survey, commissioned by Democrat Justin Brannan's city comptroller campaign and conducted by Public Policy Polling. The poll found Brannan had narrowed the gap compared to other surveys, but opponent Mark Levine was still ahead by double-digits. Cuomo's team Wednesday night was quick to point to a different survey by Honan Strategy Group that found him defeating Mamdani 56 percent to 44 percent in the seventh round of voting. But the buzzy PPP result after months of comfortable, double-digit leads for the ex-governor affirms the growing perception the mayoral race is coming down to two extraordinarily different candidates with divergent plans for the nation's largest city. One is a 67-year-old establishment politician and the other, a 33-year-old democratic socialist running as an upstart. The survey signals a potential re-ordering of the race for Cuomo, who launched his bid for a political comeback on March 1 as the prohibitive favorite against lesser-known candidates. Mamdani, the socialist with scant accomplishments in the state Assembly, entered the race as a long shot. He has since captured the interest of lefty New Yorkers who are eager for a sharp change in New York's direction. The poll dropped before early voting begins Saturday and a week after he was repeatedly blasted by his opponents in the first debate — a dynamic that benefitted the former governor. Attacks on Cuomo gave him more oxygen — not just to defend his record, but also to counterpunch at his rivals. In that forum, Mamdani did not connect in the same way he does in his well-produced videos. City Comptroller Brad Lander — who now appears to be running a distant third in a two-person contest — took Cuomo's bait after the former governor attacked him for approving contracts for groups connected to his wife. The second debate stands to be different. Mamdani's growing support will likely train attacks on him — his thin resume, Israel stance and lefty campaign promises of offering free services by taxing the rich will face further scrutiny. In last week's debate, the former governor questioned his rival's lack of experience and suggested President Donald Trump — the bogeyman of the race — would easily tear a Mayor Mamdani apart. The Cuomo-allied super PAC Fix the City has already started with a mailer knocking Mamdani on Israel, per The Forward's Jacob Kornbluh. That attack dovetailed with a recent TV ad criticizing the Queens assemblymember's tax proposal that's aimed at wealthy New Yorkers. An offensive against Mamdani would help Cuomo — a moderate Democrat — to draw a sharper contrast with his principal rival, especially for voters who may be just starting to pay attention. The final phase of the primary starts today. — Nick Reisman HAPPY THURSDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE'S KATHY? In Washington, delivering remarks to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. WHERE'S ERIC? In New York City, making a public safety and quality of life-related announcement with NYPD Commissioner Tisch and DSNY leaders, and speaking at a ceremony honoring former U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel. QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'We certainly got this. … The NYPD has a responsibility to maintain safety and order, and we are not going to abdicate that responsibility.' — NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Fox 5, via the Daily News, saying the city doesn't need the National Guard after 86 people were arrested in anti-ICE protests Tuesday night. ABOVE THE FOLD HOCHUL IN THE HOT SEAT: Gov. Kathy Hochul and two of her fellow Democratic governors are set to be grilled today by House Republicans over blue-state policies limiting cooperation between federal immigration officers and local law enforcement. Hochul, Tim Walz of Minnesota and JB Pritzker of Illinois are responding to a House Oversight Committee invitation to testify at a 'Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors.' Hochul plans to come armed with data about how the state has worked with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement on criminal matters, with a reminder that she supports strong borders, according to a memo and prepared opening remarks shared with Playbook. 'Immigration is fundamentally a federal issue,' Hochul plans to say at the start of the hearing. 'But the influx of migrants and asylum-seekers we saw across the United States caused New York and other states to shoulder the burden of a broken immigration system.' The governor and her team expect the Republicans on the panel to prod the Democratic governors with 'wild accusations, twisted characterizations and flat-out falsehoods,' according to the memo. 'I will hold Kathy Hochul accountable for the horrific crimes she has allowed to happen on her watch,' Rep. Nick Langworthy, the only New York Republican on the committee, posted Wednesday on X. Defenders of 'sanctuary' policies say they allow for state resources to be used for criminal immigration enforcement but not civil infractions. Hochul has said that the approach allows state police to focus on violent and gun crimes. The hearing is expected to be markedly different than when Mayor Eric Adams took incoming from his own party at a March mayors' hearing over his warmer relationship with President Donald Trump. — Emily Ngo CITY HALL: THE LATEST JEWS FOR SHAHANA: A group of progressive Jews is organizing to boost pro-Palestinian Council Member Shahana Hanif's reelection effort as she defends a challenge from political hopeful Maya Kornberg. Two hundred sixty Jewish constituents signed a letter, first shared with Playbook, urging fellow Jews to back the progressive lawmaker ahead of the June 24 primary. 'As Jews, we're proud to have elected NYC's first Muslim woman to the City Council, and committed to continuing to work with her to make our city safe for all who live here,' the supporters wrote. The group, which is being supported by the left-leaning Jews for Racial & Economic Justice Action, is also door-knocking around the district. In a statement, Sara Forman, the treasurer of Solidarity PAC, a group backing pro-Israel candidates including Kornberg, slammed the effort. 'Of course we are not a monolith and people are free to support whomever they choose, but the idea that anyone would claim to represent 39th District Jewish voters but are unable to recognize Shahana Hanif's revolting initial refusal to condemn Hamas or her blatant ignorance about antisemitic slurs graffitied in her district, is laughable,' she said. — Jason Beeferman HOTTEST SHOW IN TOWN: Nearly 500,000 people watched the first mayoral debate last week on broadcast TV — a slight boost over NBC and Telemundo's primary debate in 2021, even as New Yorkers continue to cut the cord. More than 235,000 views were recorded on the networks' digital and streaming platforms, which aired the full, two-hour debate on June 4. Together, it was a 47 percent increase over the debate four years ago. That's according to viewership numbers from NBC New York, which co-hosted the debate with POLITICO. That suggests there's a lot of attention on the race. Some 942,000 Democrats voted in the mayoral primary in 2021. — Jeff Coltin PRIDE MONTH PICK: First in Playbook, the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, a left-leaning LGBTQ club, is ranking Adrienne Adams first on its mayoral endorsement slate, followed by Mamdani, city Comptroller Brad Lander, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and former Assemblymember Michael Blake. 'We missed the chance to elect Bella Abzug in the 1970s,' said Allen Roskoff, the club's president, referring to the late Congressmember who ran for mayor against Mario Cuomo in 1977. 'It's time' for a woman mayor, he added. The club announced its unranked slate in April, but now replaced Jessica Ramos with Myrie and Blake after she endorsed Cuomo. — Jeff Coltin and Joe Anuta More from the city: — The City Council voted to clear a hurdle for a hotly debated casino bid in the Bronx — buoyed by crucial, last-minute support from Mayor Eric Adams. (POLITICO Pro) — It's not just Cuomo. At least five men are running for City Council and hoping to redeem themselves after losing office or having their political careers clouded by scandal. (City & State) — Department of Investigation officials have been monitoring the NYPD's response to anti-ICE demonstrations as part of a settlement after 2020 protests. (Gothamist) NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY RAMOS FUNDRAISES: State Sen. Jessica Ramos held an 'Albany Send-Off' fundraiser three blocks from the Capitol last night. Tickets ranged from $250 to $5,000. Notably, the fundraiser was for her state account — the one she'd use if she doesn't wind up winning the mayoral election and seeks another term in her current office next year. That account had only $9,000 in the bank as of January, far less than the $100,000 it had in January 2023. Her city-level account owes a quarter million dollars in debt. Ramos said she has 'an end of session fundraiser every year.' It is indeed far from the senator's first Albany event. Back in 2019, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi called Ramos a 'fucking idiot' for criticizing the governor for holding a budget-time fundraiser while she had done the same. — Bill Mahoney More from Albany: — A measure to protect people with developmental disabilities has stalled again in the Legislature. (Times Union) — Former Assemblymember Danny O'Donnell is heading to the state Parole Board. (City & State) — A bill could enable political party bosses to kick out members at will. (New York Post) KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION SALT TO BE SHED?: The chair of the Senate Finance Committee said in a meeting Wednesday that three major business tax provisions will be made permanent in the GOP megabill while the House deal on the state and local tax deduction, or SALT, will be scaled back, according to attendees. The pledge to restore larger tax deductions for research-and-development costs, business equipment purchases and interest on debt fulfills a major priority for Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho and members of his panel, who consider them a major driver of economic growth. But making the breaks permanent is costly, and it will require tradeoffs that could cause political problems as GOP leaders seek to finish work on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Crapo is targeting a hot-potato House priority in the SALT deduction that's critical to highly taxed states like New York. He told GOP senators in the Wednesday briefing that he plans to cap SALT at a lower level than the $40,000 deal Speaker Mike Johnson cut with his members. New York and other blue-state GOP lawmakers are already raising warning bells over the plan, which Senate Majority Leader John Thune first outlined to POLITICO. 'I can guarantee you: Any bill that passes here will have a SALT provision of $40,000 or more,' Rep. Nick LaLota said. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis warned Senate Republicans are 'running the risk of this entire bill imploding' if they alter the House SALT deal, adding that 'they will be responsible for the largest tax hike on the American people.' — Benjamin Guggenheim and Jordain Carney More from Congress: — Democratic governors facing potentially big budget problems exacerbated by the GOP megabill are considering emergency measures to soften the blow. (POLITICO) — Rep. Ritchie Torres donates to the fund demanding freedom for Andry Hernández Romero, a gay asylum-seeker imprisoned in El Salvador. (Advocate) — Lobbyists pick Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the most likely leader of the Democrats. (Punchbowl News) NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — A jury convicts Harvey Weinstein of the top charge in the retrial of his landmark #MeToo sex crimes case. (CNN) — Business groups are concerned about an emissions measure being considered in the final days of Albany's legislative session. (POLITICO Pro) — Long Island leads the state in dog attacks on postal workers. (New York Post) SOCIAL DATA IN MEMORIAM: Jim Katocin, vice president of advertising at City & State has died (City & State) MAKING MOVES: Adriana Pezzulli has joined NYC Kids RISE as chief of development. She was previously with the Community Service Society of New York … Amaia Errecalde has been promoted to be an account executive at strategic comms firm Infinite MEDIAWATCH: 'New York Times Names Co-Chief Restaurant Critics: The pair, Ligaya Mishan and Tejal Rao, are part of an effort to expand starred restaurant reviews across the country, the company said,' by NYT's Katie Robertson WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Alexa Kissinger, an attorney at Kirkland and Ellis and an Obama White House alum, and Gareth Rhodes, managing director at Pacific Street Group, on June 1 welcomed Felix Arthur Kissinger Rhodes, who joins big sister Inez. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former Assemblymember David Buchwald … Jerika Richardson of the National Urban League … Gerstman's Nicole Epstein … JTA's Philissa Cramer … Columbia's Erin Hussein … Marc Greenberg … NBC's Carrie Budoff Brown … Dag Vega … Bloomberg's Kevin Sheekey … Chris Lu … Julie Andreeff Jensen … Rachel Cordova D'Oro … Alexis Levinson … Nathanael Massey … (WAS WEDNESDAY): Steven A. Cohen ... Michael J. Schoenfeld ... Scott Gottlieb Missed Wednesday's New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.


New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Flailing Dems vying for NYC mayor likely to take aim at Trump in final debate tonight—after attacks on frontrunner Andrew Cuomo fall flat
Desperate mayoral hopefuls will likely take aim at President Trump during the final Democratic primary debate Thursday night — after sparing with frontrunner Andrew Cuomo last week did little to move the needle with voters, experts said. Cuomo and repeated runner-up Zohran Mamdani have already seemingly attempted to capitalize on Trump bashing, pitching their plans to fight the White House this week as protests against federal immigration enforcement raids rage in Los Angeles. 'To the people who are open to a Mamdani candidacy, it's a golden opportunity to further that dynamic,' Andrew Kirtzman, managing director of the consulting firm Actum, said of the Democratic socialist Queens assemblyman, who is known for taking part in dramatic demonstrations. Advertisement 'But I think a lot of people, majority of New Yorkers, especially ones who are furious at Trump, are hesitant about this descending into violence, and that plays into Cuomo's hands,' Kirtzman said. 'He could [capitalize] by saying he's the only one who could keep the city under control.' 4 How mayoral hopefuls will deal with President Donald Trump is expected to be a key part of the candidates' pitches to New Yorkers during the final debate. AP Advertisement The two top polling candidates are slated to square off at 7 p.m. at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater for the final debate, which will be hosted by Spectrum NY1. Also on stage will be: City Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, former Comptroller Scott Stringer and former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. 4 Mayoral candidate and former governor Andrew Cuomo has been the frontrunner before entering the race. Matthew McDermott 4 DSA lawmaker Zohran Mamdani caught fire early on in the race and has been in second place in the polls for weeks. Gregory P. Mango Advertisement Democratic operative and lobbyist Yvette Buckner said the 'zeitgeist' of the race has shifted drastically from 'an affordability crisis to defending our democracy.' 'We're going to see the candidates sharpening their talking points around that to use at the debate,' she said. During the first debate June 4, Cuomo was front and center of the vast majority of jabs and haymakers from the poorer polling hopefuls — but the attacks seemingly failed to move the minds of many voters. A Honan Strategy Group poll conducted last week and released Wednesday still had the ex-gov pulling in 38% in the first round of the ranked-choice voting contest, compared to Mamdani's 22%, and winning after seven rounds. Advertisement The lack of movement in the polls comes despite Mamdani nabbing the endorsement of lefty firebrand New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But the Honan survey was conducted before Cuomo scored the backing of former Mayor Mike Bloomberg on Tuesday. The president and his policies could dominate the discussion Thursday as Democratic party leaders struggle to deal with Trump's second term and the mayoral candidates look to break out of the crowded field with under two weeks to the June 24 primary. 4 State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who has endorsed Cuomo, and former Assemblyman Rev. Michael Blake did not make the cut for the final debate. AP 'They can't tee off on Trump about NYC chaos because he ' promised' (Mayor Eric) Adams he wouldn't call in the National Guard as long as the mayor keeps a lid on things,' said political operative Ken Frydman, noting The Post's reporting of the vow the president made to Chief John Chell on the golf course this past weekend. 'But they'll still go after Trump on his immigration crackdown, provoking protests in the city.' Kirtzman warned that the recent anti-ICE demonstrations and anti-Trump protests could throw a 'major wrench in the race.' 'There is a smoldering anger at Trump in the party that is about to explode,' he said. 'All of the candidates, including Cuomo, are going to go really hard on Trump.'

Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Poll shows low-profile New York City comptroller race narrowing in the home stretch
NEW YORK — A new poll shows the race for New York City comptroller tightening, with Justin Brannan narrowing the gap in a contest still led by Mark Levine. And with less than two weeks until the Democratic primary, nearly half of New Yorkers remain undecided in the race to be the city's top fiscal watchdog, according to the poll Brannan's team commissioned and shared in full with POLITICO. It was conducted by Public Policy Polling, and queried 573 likely primary voters between June 6 and 7, with a 4.1 percent margin of error. Levine, the Manhattan borough president, led Brannan — the City Council finance committee chair — 30 percent to 19 percent among likely Democratic voters, according to the poll. That same survey showed state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani leapfrogging Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. The 11-point gap was smaller than a May 27 survey from Honan Strategy Group that had Levine at 38 percent and Brannan at 13 percent, a shift that left the Brooklyn lawmaker's team feeling bullish. Both surveys found 44 percent of likely voters undecided. 'A race that was once considered locked up is now anything but,' Brannan campaign adviser Alyssa Cass wrote in a campaign memo shared with POLITICO. 'As nearly half the electorate remains undecided, Brannan is the candidate with the most room to grow and the clearest path to an upset.' Brannan's team believes the tides will continue to shift in his favor. They cited the smaller gap that came after 10 days of going on air with a television ad along with a niche stat from their poll: Of voters who had seen Brannan's ads, they preferred him 40 percent to 37 percent. Those viewers, however, made up a small slice of the electorate at 23 percent. And it was unclear how many of those people knew of Levine or his campaign. Levine's camp countered that the polls have consistently shown him ahead of Brannan by double digits. And they touted the endorsement Wednesday night of a major municipal labor group. 'Mark has all the momentum in this race. We just earned the endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers, representing hundreds of thousands of NYC public school educators — adding to the 180-plus elected officials, faith leaders, labor unions and community groups backing our campaign,' Campaign Manager Matt Rubin said in a statement. 'Right now, we're focused on connecting with New Yorkers where they are — on the streets, at subway stops and at their doors.' A person on Levine's team also took issue with the survey methodology, suggesting it over sampled Brannan's home borough of Brooklyn — especially with affluent voters — and under sampled Black voters Levine is doing better with. The Public Policy Polling showed few New Yorkers have barely tuned into the contest: More than half of those surveyed had no opinion about the favorability of the two candidates, and around half of the likely Democratic primary voters had not seen an ad for either. Brannan and Levine were the only two comptroller candidates to qualify for a pair of televised debates, which mainly showcased how little they differ on policy. During their first meeting, they engaged in several back-and-forths over President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but had a conspicuous aversion to talking about Andrew Cuomo, who at the time had been leading the mayoral Democratic primary in every poll.