(The Center Square) — New York City election officials have rejected the city council’s push to strike several housing-related referendums backed by Mayor Eric Adams off the November ballot.
The Board of Elections voted Tuesday to set five ballot questions for the Nov. 4 elections, approved by Adams’ hand-picked 13-member Charter Review Commission, most aimed at fast-tracking development of more affordable housing in the city. The move came over objections from city council members who questioned the ethics of transferring such power to the mayor’s appointees.
Adams, a Democrat running a long-shot campaign for reelection as an independent, praised the ruling and accused the council of an “illegal attempt to usurp democracy and strip New York City voters of their right to have a voice on issues that would eliminate barriers to housing.”
“New York City faces an extremely low vacancy rate, and the independent Charter Revision Commission has identified key ways for voters to weigh in on city laws that have prevented us from building more housing faster,” he said. “These ballot proposals will allow voters to decide to maintain the status quo or revise the process for building affordable housing and smaller projects, while preserving local voices.”
Council members had asked the elections board to reject Adams’ referendums, arguing that the proposals, if approved by voters, would usurp its authority on housing development and other decisions.
A spokeswoman for the city criticized the decision to keep Adams’ “dishonest” questions on the ballot and vowed to “take action to protect democracy” from the proposals.
“Trying to deceive voters into giving away their power in a democracy through misleading ballot proposals that hide their true impact is fundamentally undemocratic,” Council spokeswoman Julia Argos said in a statement. “Mayor Adams’ Commission could have offered honestly worded ballot proposals to give voters the choice to make informed decisions, but it chose not to and instead is attempting to trick voters with buzzwords and slogans.”
“We as New Yorkers shouldn’t be surprised that this effort to give the public’s power to developers comes from Mayor Adams, someone who has been selling our city out to Trump and aiding in his authoritarianism at nearly every turn,” she added.
But Gov. Kathy Hochul praised the board for keeping the referendums on the ballot, calling it a “victory for working families and a step toward a future all New Yorkers can afford.”
“There’s only one way to solve New York’s housing crisis: we have to build more housing,” Hochul said. “The Charter Revision Commission’s proposals will make it easier to build the affordable housing New Yorkers so urgently need. I’m glad the Board of Elections listened to the voices of New Yorkers — myself included — who want to see these critical initiatives brought to voters in November.”
