Op-Ed: Wright Says “No” On Charter Revision Proposals

In New York City there will be three (3) proposals on the ballot on Nov. 6. Below you will find the proposals along with a brief summary.

Proposal 1: Campaign Finance

“This proposal would amend the City Charter to lower the amount a candidate for City elected office may accept from a contributor. It would also increase the public funding used to match a portion of the contributions received by a candidate who participates in the City’s public financing program…The amendments would apply to participating candidates who choose to have the amendments apply to their campaigns beginning with the 2021 primary election, and would then apply to all candidates beginning in 2022…” *

VOTE NO on Proposal 1

Campaign Finance Board (CFB) spends in excess of 50% of their annual budget on enforcement instead of actually helping candidates run. There is little proof that more candidates will be able to participate in the matching fund program so long as CFB operates as it does.

Proposal 2: Civic Engagement Commission

“This proposal would amend the City Charter to: Create a Civic Engagement Commission that would implement, no later than the City Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2020, a Citywide participatory budgeting program established by the Mayor to promote participation by City residents in making recommendations for projects in their communities; Require the Commission to partner with community based organizations and civic leaders, as well as other City agencies, to support and encourage civic engagement efforts; Require the Commission to establish a program to provide language interpreters at City poll sites, to be implemented for the general election in 2020; Permit the Mayor to assign relevant powers and duties of certain other City agencies to the Commission…” *

VOTE NO on Proposal 2

• This proposal is exactly what already exists in the Community Board budget process BUT the community board process only takes 2 months.
• This is an attempt to confuse community and diminish community power.  
• This proposed commission has no community connection but will have the power to choose   the community residents and organizations that it reaches out to for input. THIS IS HOW THE CITY ALREADY GRANTS MONEY.
• This is taking away community power and centralizing it in the City government.

Proposal 3: Community Boards

“This proposal would amend the City Charter to: Impose term limits of a maximum of four consecutive full two-year terms for community board members with certain exceptions for the initial transition to the new term limits system; Require Borough Presidents to seek out persons of diverse backgrounds in making appointments to community boards. The proposal would also add new application and reporting requirements related to these appointments; and If Question 2, “Civic Engagement Commission,” is approved, require the proposed Civic Engagement Commission to provide resources, assistance, and training related to land use and other matters to community boards…”*

VOTE NO on Proposal 3

• Community Boards have been targeted by City Officials because Community Boards vote independently. Community Board members are not City government employees; they are part of the community.
  
• This is an attempt to reduce the institutional knowledge of Community Boards.  On average it takes the City years if not decades to complete a project. This proposal would mean that no member of any board would be able to SEE the CHANGES they have championed. This gives the City an ability to continue with inefficient practices without community oversight.
• This proposal is targeted at community members who volunteer their time INSTEAD OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO APPOINT MEMBERS. This proposal has everyone looking at the volunteer and not the people with the appointment power. Demand better from those persons!

* Ballot Proposal Summaries copied from: “General Election 2018 – 11/06/2018,”

Poll Site Locator – https://nyc.pollsitelocator.com/

Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (D) is a long-time small business owner and former chair of Community Board 3. As an Assembly member she represents Bedford-Stuyvesant and Northern Crown Heights.  Wright is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School where she studied under former Professor and 44th President Barack Obama.