Eric Adams' Charter Revision Commission sues to get open primaries on the ballot
The zombie Charter Revision Commission convened by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams on his final day in office is suing the governor, mayor, the Board of Elections and the city clerk in hopes of getting a proposal to open up city primaries on the ballot this fall. They aren’t alone. Republican firebrand City Council Member Vickie Paladino, former Gov. David Paterson, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella have also joined the fray as plaintiffs.
The lawsuit, which was shared with City & State before it was officially filed in Richmond County Supreme Court Tuesday, comes roughly a month after Mayor Zohran Mamdani disbanded the commission using a new provision passed by lawmakers in the state budget. That’s essentially the basis of the commission’s lawsuit – that the mayor illegally directed Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers to immediately enact the provision so he could retroactively dismantle the group and kill its proposal to open up primary elections.
“New York City voters have the right to decide what kind of local election system they want,” said former first deputy mayor Randy Mastro, who is representing the commission and plaintiffs pro bono. “New York City voters should make that decision, not politicians making backroom deals.”
It’s complicated. The lawsuit contends that this was unlawful because the state Legislature needed formal permission from the mayor and City Council to pass the provision as it was a “special law targeting only the affairs of New York City government.” It also argues that the provision qualifies as a special law that diminishes the power of local government, meaning it needed to have been passed twice in two different calendar years before it could go into effect.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/06/eric-adams-charter-revision-commission-sues-get-open-primaries-ballot/414518/?oref=csny-category-lander-river