NYC Voters Could Decide Open Primaries As Rival City Hall Commissions Clash

NEW YORK, NY— Mayor Zohran Mamdani moved to dismantle a charter revision commission created by former Mayor Eric Adams and announced a replacement panel focused on overhauling city government, setting up a legal and political fight over the future of open primaries in New York City.

Mamdani’s new body, the Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE, will examine bureaucratic delays, infrastructure bottlenecks and agency operations before proposing ballot questions for November’s election.

“The Commission on Government Efficiency will take a hard look at how City government functions and identify the reforms we need to deliver faster, smarter and more effectively for working people,” Mamdani said in a statement to Politico. “Restoring faith in government starts with proving government can actually deliver.”

The move came days before a June 1 deadline created by state lawmakers that gave Mamdani authority to accept or reject the Adams commission.

Adams established the Charter Revision Commission on Dec. 31, hours before leaving office after becoming the city’s first one-term mayor since David Dinkins. The panel quickly moved to advance ballot proposals that included creating an open primary system for local elections.

Critics viewed the commission as an attempt to complicate Mamdani’s political future.

Under an open primary system, independent voters and members of other parties could participate in local primaries, potentially reshaping the city’s heavily Democratic electorate.

The Adams commission expanded its agenda last week, adding proposals tied to antisemitism and restrictions on elected officials raising their own salaries.

On Wednesday night, the panel formally approved a ballot question on open primaries.

Mamdani responded hours later by filing paperwork rescinding the commission.

The Mayor’s replacement panel includes veterans from several mayoral administrations and leaders from labor and business circles.

Patrick Gaspard, a longtime Democratic operative and adviser to Mamdani, will chair the commission. Other appointees include former de Blasio aides Emma Wolfe, Marco Carrión and Kapil Longani, along with former Giuliani and Bloomberg administration official Marc Shaw.

Kathy Wylde, former head of the Partnership for New York City, and DC37 Executive Director Henry Garrido will also serve on the panel. Former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger joined the roster as well.

The commission plans to hold 10 public hearings across the city before considering proposals for the November ballot. According to a fact sheet released by City Hall, the panel will examine ways to remove bureaucratic barriers that delay projects and services while modernizing city operations and budget practices.

The Adams commission showed no signs of backing down.

“This commission is going to continue to do its work, and now it’s put open primaries and nonpartisan elections on the ballot,” Randy Mastro, Adams’ former first deputy mayor and the commission’s pro bono counsel, said Wednesday night. “There’s been no alteration of its status, and whatever attempts to alter its status would certainly raise legal issues that would need to be explored.”

The Adams panel convened Wednesday evening in the Bronx to hear testimony supporting open primaries. Several speakers argued the current system excludes unaffiliated voters and rewards candidates on the political extremes.

The executive director of the Queens Republican Party opposed the proposal, warning it would hurt Republican candidates.

The Adams commission also proposed ballot measures aimed at “addressing antisemitism, hate crimes and protester interference with houses of worship,” issues that have fueled criticism from some opponents of Mamdani.

The panel’s future hearings also faced uncertainty after Glow Community Center in Queens disputed claims that it had agreed to host a June hearing.

“We’ve recently received some inquiries regarding potential use of our space and inquired about the standard rate, but at this point, I’m not aware of any booking or arrangement that has been formally confirmed,” a representative for the center said in an email.

State Attorney General Letitia James backed Mamdani’s new commission and framed the effort as an attempt to streamline city government.

“The mayor knows New Yorkers deserve an efficient government that quickly delivers childcare, housing, and public infrastructure — and that means tackling the red tape and outdated barriers in our city charter that block progress,” James said. “COGE is a smart, ambitious approach to modernize our government and deliver excellence to all New Yorkers.”