Key Eric Adams’ ballot proposals pass, in blow to City Council

NEW YORK — New York City voters delivered a win to Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday, approving four of his five ballot proposals that modestly change the City Charter to empower the executive branch of government.

It was a bit of positive news for an embattled mayor who has received anything but this year, and the win strengthens him in his ongoing power struggle with the City Council.

The results seemed all but certain to hold, according to election night results from the New York City Board of Elections, with 97 percent of scanners counted. Opponents of the measures conceded defeat Tuesday night, including New York City Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman.

"Tonight, Mayor Adams succeeded in his stealth attempt to increase his power at the expense of New Yorkers," she said in a statement.

The proposals arose from a Charter Revision Commission Adams established in May to review New York City's governing document.

Two measures were meant as a direct rebuke to the council after its recent battles with the mayor — one that requires lawmakers to give a 30-day notice on public hearings for legislation involving public safety agencies, and another to let the mayor's budget office issue reports on the financial impact of bills under consideration. Both passed.

Voters also passed changes to codify the Department of Sanitation's ability to clean highways and sidewalks outside of city parks, and made minor changes to the city's 10-year capital planning process.

The one measure that failed to pass would have formally enshrined the position of chief business diversity officer in the city charter, to support the mayor's efforts on contracting with minority and women owned business enterprises, or MWBEs.

It also would have shifted responsibility for issuing film permits to the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment from the Department of Small Business Services, and combined a pair of boards that manage city records.

The question was effectively three proposals in one, which Diane Savino, a mayoral aide who was the commission's executive director, speculated was the reason for its failure.

"I think the bucket was too big and it was too much," she said in an interview Tuesday night.

None of the proposals passed by an overwhelming margin. Proposals two through five were all set to pass with more than 55 percent of the vote, according to preliminary election night results. While proposal 6 failed, with just 47 percent voting in favor.

Led by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, opponents fumed about the process of getting the proposals on the ballot. She derided it as a "power grab" by the mayor and admonished him for aspiring to be "a king."

No Power Grab NYC, a coalition of progressive organizations opposed to the mayor, reported spending just over $218,000 campaigning against the proposals ahead of Election Day. The New York Immigration Coalition pitched in $35,000 more.

That's relatively little spending for a citywide campaign. But well-known critics like the Working Families Party used their platforms — and high-profile surrogates like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — to urge New Yorkers to vote no and rebuke the unpopular mayor .

Savino called that campaign "irresponsible."

"When you make decisions about the charter, it shouldn't be about the current occupants," she said.

In that way, the proposals' passage is a rare positive political sign for the mayor, who is seeking reelection next year while under indictment.

Adams kept his distance from the ballot proposals, which were designed by a commission he convened and filled with allies and staffers. The mayor and other supporters did effectively no campaigning to promote the measures, trusting that New Yorkers would approve them based on the leading language on the ballot.

"I trusted the voters," Savino said. "They read the questions, they read the proposals and they made a decision without being persuaded."

The massive Democratic campaign urging a yes vote on a statewide measure to codify abortion rights could have helped the citywide proposals, Savino speculated ahead of Election Day. That proposal passed overwhelmingly in the city, winning nearly 80 percent of the vote.

"We assumed it would benefit any question on the ballot," she said, "because it would raise awareness that ballot questions existed."

Speaker Adrienne Adams declined to comment until the results were called by The Associated Press.