NYers Will Vote On Campaign Finance, Community Board Reforms

NEW YORK — Voters will decide this November on changes to the New York City Charter aimed at boosting civic engagement and reforming the city's local campaign finance system and community boards.

Mayor Bill de Blasio's Charter Revision Commission approved three proposals Tuesday that will appear on the Nov. 6 general elction ballot along with the candidates for state and federal offices.

They would slash campaign contribution limits for municipal elections; increase the public funding available to municipal candidates; set term limits for members of the city's 59 community boards; and establish a so-called Civic Engagement Commission to get New Yorkers involved in local affairs.

The proposals are the final result of the 15-member commission's several months of work, which included public hearings and issue-focused forums across the city. They come as a parallel panel created by the City Council gears up for a similar process next year.

"This Commission set out to identify proposals designed to improve civic life in New York City and, through an extensive and thoughtful process, that is just what we have done," commission Chair Cesar Perales said in a statement. "The proposals approved by the Commission today will provide the voters with an opportunity to weigh in on changes that would impact several important aspects of civic life."

De Blasio, a Democrat, empaneled the commission this spring in an effort to improve the local campaign finance system and improve civic engagement. (The mayor himself has faced inquiries into his political fundraising that resulted in no criminal charges.)

The three ballot questions the commission produced reflect its original focus, though it also recommended that a future panel more closely examine larger issues such as the City Council redistricting process and a ranked-choice voiting system.

"These reforms will go a long way toward strengthening our democracy and limiting the influence of big money in our elections," de Blasio said in a statement Tuesday. "There’s no doubt in my mind that these measures will help us build a more fair and equitable city."

Here's a closer look at the proposals that will go to New York City voters in November. You can read them in full in the commission's final report.

Campaign Finance Reforms

One proposal would bolster the city's public campaign finance program while reducing contribution limits for muncipal candidates who take public funds by more than 60 percent, the commission says.

The new contribution limits would vary depending on what job the candidate is seeking, but the ceiling would fall to $2,000 from $5,100 for the three citywide offices of mayor, public advocate and comptroller. Limits for candidates who don't take public funds would see smaller reductions.

The city currently offers a $6-to-$1 match for eligible campaign contributions, up to the first $175 per contributor. The proposal would increase that rate to $8-to-$1 for contributions up to the first $250 per contributor for citywide offices and $175 for Council and borough president candidates. It would also raise the cap on public matching funds available to candidates.

Community Board Reforms

Another proposal would set term limits for the city's hyperlocal community boards in an effort to make them more representative of the neighborhoods they serve.

The change would limit future board members to four consecutive two-year terms, similar to the limit of two four-year terms for local elected officials. There is currently no such cap for community board members, who are appointed by borough presidents with input from Council members.

The limits would start with board members appointed or reappointed on or after April 1 of next year. But members tapped for terms starting April 1, 2020 could serve up to five two-year terms to prevent a big turnover in 2027 and 2028, the Charter Revision Commission says.

The proposal would also change the appointment process for community boards to increase diversity. Borough presidents would have to post applications on their websites and issue an annual report on community board membership, recruitment and selection.

Civic Engagement Commission

This proposal would create a new, 15-member Civic Engagement Commission charged with rolling out a citywide "participatory budgeting" program and supporting other civic engagement initiatives.

The commission would have eight members appointed by the mayor, two appointed by the Council speaker and one appointed by each borough president.

It would have a mandate to implement a new mayoral participatory budgeting program allowing New Yorkers to recommend community projects by the fiscal year starting in July 2020. The Council currently runs a similar program that involved more than 100,000 New Yorkers across 31 Council districts last year, according to the Charter Revision Commission's report.

The commission would also be required to establish a program providing language interpreters at poll sites in time for the 2020 presidential election.

(Lead image: Voting booths are seen in New York City in November 2016. Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)