Highlights of the Major Arguments
PRO |
Highlights of the Major Arguments
CON |
General
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General
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| The Charter Revision Commission
conducted an open and thorough review. It held public hearings in each
borough. The Commission includes highly-qualified civic leaders, representing
varied backgrounds, and has operated in an independent manner. |
The Commission, chosen by the Mayor,
was created in mid-June and did not have enough time to study the effect
of its proposals carefully. Hearings were held in mid-summer, when many
people were unavailable or not paying close attention. |
| Having all the proposals contained
in one ballot question is reasonable because the proposals are intended
to make permanent the successes of the current administration. |
By including all the proposals in
one all-or-nothing question, the Commission is limiting the public’s
choices and packaging problematic proposals with popular ones. |
PRO
Public Safety
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CON
Public Safety
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| New York City can protect its residents
by enacting gun-free school zones and safety lock legislation. |
These insignificant proposals
may be invalidated because the “gun-free” school zone and
safety locks are already covered by federal and state law. The City
Council can address any needed improvements.
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PRO
The Budget Process
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CON
The Budget Process
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| The proposal would give the voters
an opportunity now to set strict budget rules for the Mayor and the City
Council. |
The proposal would limit future
legislatures’ ability to make choices that best serve the public. Power
would shift from the City Council to the Mayor. |
Surplus
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Surplus
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| The proposal would insure that money
from surplus is available to the Mayor and the City Council in case of
an emergency and would save money on interest payments. |
The City has already been putting
100% of its surpluses toward next year’s debt payment. This proposal
would limit the City’s ability to find better ways to pay off City debt. |
Budget Cap
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Budget Cap
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| An inflation-based cap on City spending
would force the Mayor and City Council to use tax dollars more efficiently.
They would need to prioritize programs instead of simply spending more. |
This cap would not necessarily limit
government spending, because the Mayor and the City Council together
could override the cap. Instead, the cap would shift power away from
the City Council to the Mayor, and make the budget process more partisan
and political. If the City Council and the Mayor disagreed, the City
Council would have no power (as it does now) to override the Mayor. |
| This proposal would allow the Mayor
and the City Council to lift the cap in an emergency or when it is in
the best interests of the City to do so. |
This proposal would make it more
difficult for the City to make long-term budget decisions, as when union
contracts limit raises in some years and increase them by more than the
rate of inflation in other years. |
| Applying the regional Consumer Price
Index as the inflation factor is very reasonable. The Federal Government
uses the national C.P.I. to calculate a range of important benefits,
including social security. |
The regional Consumer Price Index
measures the prices of goods and services a typical consumer buys, not
the prices of the kinds of goods and services the City buys. This proposal
also does not identify which of many budget figures would be capped.
This will lead to confusion, gimmicks, and litigation. |
Taxes
|
Taxes
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| It should be very difficult for
the government to raise taxes. The proposal would force the City to decide
what programs are most important instead of simply raising taxes to pay
for more spending. |
When the City wants to spend more
on important programs like education or crime control, the legislature
should be able to pass a budget to do so, and the Charter should not
make that more difficult. |
| The people must put strict controls
on the City government so that taxes do not rise unduly. Requiring a
super-majority of the City Council to approve a tax increase would insure
that tax increases are only passed when they are necessary and have strong
public support. |
A handful of City Council members
representing a small minority would be able to block public demands for
government services. If the Mayor vetoes a tax increase, 11 City Council
members would be able to prevent the increase even if the other 40 members
support it. |
| This proposal would deter any tax
increases, including on the property tax, which for technical reasons
cannot be covered in the proposal. Increased public scrutiny would prevent
unfair property tax increases. |
Whenever a tax increase is needed,
the City Council would be more likely to increase the property tax. The
property tax may not be the best way to raise revenue, especially since
many people already consider it complicated and unfair.
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PRO
Civil Rights
|
CON
Civil Rights
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| Including the Commission on Human
Rights and its enforcement powers in the Charter ensures its continued
existence, and will make it more difficult for future City leaders to
eliminate the Commission, which fights discrimination. |
The Commission has been in existence
for almost 40 years, with its responsibilities continually increasing,
so placing it in the Charter is not necessary. The City Council can evaluate
the need for putting the Commission in the Charter and has the power
to do so.
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PRO
Immigrant Affairs
|
CON
Immigrant Affairs
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| Placing the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant
Affairs and Language Services in the Charter helps insure its continued
existence to respond to the needs of immigrants. |
The changing needs of immigrants
should be evaluated by the City Council before a permanent bureaucracy
is set up. |
| Allowing all immigrants, regardless
whether they are here legally, to use basic City services (such as emergency
services, pre-natal care, and education) is a human right of all people,
not just citizens. Ensuring confidentiality will encourage immigrants
to be tested for communicable diseases, educate their children, and report
crimes to the police. |
Illegal immigrants should not be
able to take advantage of scarce City services. We should ensure that
those who are here legally are taken care of first. Allowing illegal
immigrants to use these services and ensuring confidentiality may also
encourage more illegal immigration.
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PRO
Special Elections to Fill Mayoral Vacancies
|
CON
Special Elections to Fill Mayoral Vacancies
|
| Voters should be able, as soon as
possible after a vacancy in the Mayor’s office occurs, to elect the individual
of their choice to fill the highest office in the City. |
There is no need to limit further
the time the Public Advocate serves as acting Mayor in the event of a
vacancy. Voters elect a Public Advocate knowing that he or she is next
in line for Mayor. |
| A mayoral vacancy should be filled
the same way vacancies in other elected offices are filled, promoting
fairness and predictability for the electorate. |
The procedure for filling this executive
office should enable the next Mayor to govern without being plunged immediately
into a campaign. The proposal will create a series of special elections
which may decrease voter turnout.
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PRO
Procurement
|
CON
Procurement
|
| The City takes too long to award
contracts. This is bad for the businesses that work with the City and
bad for City residents, who deserve faster, more efficient service. |
The Procurement Policy Board already
has a great deal of authority. Giving it more may not simplify the City’s
procurement rules. |
| The current process for awarding
contracts of $25,000 - $100,000 is unnecessarily complicated. |
$100,000 is too much money for a
City agency to spend with reduced oversight.
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PRO
Government Reorganization
|
CON
Government Reorganization
|
Administration
for Children’s Services:
Since ACS became independent from the Human Resources Administration, it
has made numerous reforms. Including ACS in the Charter would help ensure
its continuing existence. |
Administration for Children’s
Services:
ACS already exists as a free-standing agency. The agency has a short history
and needs more time to establish a record of reform. The City Council can
evaluate the need for putting ACS in the Charter and has the power to do
so.
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PRO
Organized Crime Control Commission:
The formation of an Organized Crime Control Commission would eliminate
the overlap in regulatory, investigative, and licensing functions of
several agencies. This centralization would enhance coordination of efforts
to combat organized crime. |
CON
Organized Crime Control Commission:
The City has law enforcement mechanisms in place, including the police
department and prosecutors’ offices, to deal with organized crime. It
is the new Organized Crime Control Commission that would have overlapping
jurisdiction and would replicate functions already performed elsewhere.
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PRO
The Department of Public Health and Mental
Hygiene Services:
This merger would result in enhanced coordination and increased access
to comprehensive health care. The two separate agencies often treat the
same populations, and patients are shuttled between the two. |
CON
The Department of Public Health and Mental
Hygiene Services:
The creation of a mega-health agency through this merger lumps together
public health, mental health, and disability concerns, leaving different
populations vulnerable to being overlooked.
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PRO
Coordination of Domestic Violence Services:
Various public and private agencies address the issue of domestic violence.
Coordination of family violence services under the Mayor’s Office would
increase communication among these agencies and allow for more efficient
delivery of services. |
CON
Coordination of Domestic Violence Services:
The Mayor’s Commission to Combat Family Violence already coordinates
domestic violence services among the private and public sectors.
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