Public Advocate Urges Public to Pay Attention to Charter Review

This afternoon we received an email from Public Advocate Bill De Blasio’s office, saying:

Although the New York City Charter Commission is currently amending our city’s constitution, most New Yorkers are oblivious to these upcoming changes. Since March, the Commission has held eight public hearings, but only 1,000 people — .012% of the City’s population — have shown up. This lack of public engagement in such an important issue may have major effects on how New York City government is run. The Public Advocate’s office is encouraging all New Yorkers to urge the Commission to make the charter revision process as democratic as possible. The Charter Commission’s next public hearing is tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Brooklyn Borough Hall.

There is, in fact, at lot at stake as the Charter Review Commission continues its work. Tomorrow night, for example, they will hear testimony about term limits. The issue, of course, loomed large last year, after the City Council went along with Mayor Bloomberg’s maneuver to run for a third term. The Commission is also weighing whether to give the public advocate more power, or to abolish the office, as Bloomberg has suggested.

Click here for details about tomorrow night’s meeting.