Dear John,

Although it may not seem like it, tomorrow is Election Day in NYC! Polls are open tomorrow from 6 am to 9 pm. You can check your poll site or registration status at voting.nyc [[link removed]] .

On Sunday, I was delighted to vote early at the Park Slope Armory (which served as a powerful reminder of Election Day seven years ago, during Hurricane Sandy, when we helped scores of frail elderly evacuees to vote absentee). It was great to see so many of you take advantage of this important election reform, which we won as a result of our hard work to elect a Democratic State Senate (including Zellnor Myrie, who led the way).

I voted to re-elect Jumaane Williams as Public Advocate.

And I voted “YES” on all 5 ballot questions. I hope you will too.

The ballot propositions are a little confusing, since they group 19 proposals into 5 categories. And I wish the Charter Revision Commission had been more ambitious in proposing changes to NYC’s land use process, to prepare us better for the future. Still, here’s my rationale for voting YES on each question:

#1: Elections/Ranked Choice Voting

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) will make our elections more democratic, more participatory and more cost effective. In NYC’s current primary and special elections, candidates are regularly elected with less than 50% of the votes. In citywide races, we then have expensive, low-turnout primary elections.

Rather than picking just one candidate in a crowded field of options, you will have the chance to rank your top five. If one candidate doesn’t get a majority outright, the candidate with the least support will be eliminated, and the votes for that person will be reallocated based on those voters’ second choice. The process continues until one candidate emerges with majority support.

Ranked-choice voting worked effectively in San Francisco, Santa Fe, Minneapolis, Maine, and around the country. Voters have had an easy time adapting to the system (everyone knows how to rank their preferences), and it has been shown to increase voter participation. And as argued effectively in this editorial by Assembly Member Catalina Cruz [[link removed]] (the first Dreamer elected in New York State), RCV has been shown to help women, people-of-color, and young people get elected, increasing diversity of representation.

#2: Civilian Complaint Review Board

Voting #YesOn2 will strengthen police accountability. It will require the Police Commissioner to provide an explanation when he deviates from the disciplinary recommendations of the Civilian Complaint Review Board. And it will allow the CCRB to investigate and recommend discipline against officers who make false statements in the course of an investigation.

CPR Action (the sister organization of Communities United for Police Reform, the leading NYC coalition working for police accountability) is strongly in favor of this proposal, as are Gwen Carr and Constance Malcolm, the mothers of Eric Garner and Ramarley Graham [[link removed]] . I hope you will join me in supporting them.

#3: Ethics and Governance

This amendment will prohibit elected officials from lobbying the City government for two years after leaving city service. And it will require the City Council’s advice & consent on the appointment of NYC’s Corporation Counsel, the lawyer who represents the City (including the City Council) in court.

#4: City Budget

A “rainy day fund” will allow NYC to save funds in good times to use in future bad times, a forward-looking improvement to our city’s financial management that will help stave off harsh cuts in benefits and services during years of economic downturn.

#5: Land Use

OK, I’m frustrated that the Charter Revision Commission did not address weaknesses in our land use process. Together with Councilmember Antonio Reynoso and a coalition of community groups, I argued for a comprehensive planning process [[link removed]] that would help us plan more thoughtfully for our city’s future, with an eye on climate change, fairness, and infrastructure. I’ll keep fighting for this in the years to come.

For now, though, giving the public an additional 30 days to review big land-use actions (and a little more time in the summer, when community boards don’t meet as regularly) is a reasonable proposal.

More information on the proposals is available at: [link removed] [[link removed]] , and you can read The New York Times’ recommendations here [[link removed]] (I disagree with them on #5, but it’s a pretty small change either way).

Any other questions? Call 1-866-VOTE-NYC or send an email to [email protected] [[email protected]] .

Next year’s Election Day will, of course, be a lot more consequential. Still, for those of us who are citizens, voting is one of the most powerful actions we can take, the right that protects all other rights. Exercise it tomorrow.

Brad



Lander for NYC
32 Union Square East
Suite 1211
New York, NY 10003
United States

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