THE QUESTION
Mayor Bloomberg scored a victory in last night’s elections as city voters overwhelmingly supported his push to change the City Charter so that a mayor unable to serve could be replaced within 60 days.
With 98 percent of the vote counted, the measure passed 61 percent to 39 percent.
Under current practice, the next official in line – the Public Advocate – becomes the interim mayor for as long as 15 months.
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum last night vowed to continue fighting the change, saying it may violate the federal Voting Rights Act.
Gotbaum fiercely opposed the change, pointing out that it would also strip her of her power to preside over the City Council.
A one-time friend of Mayor Bloomberg who has clashed with him lately, charged he was out to diminish her powers and reduce oversight over the administration.
“We’ll fight this next year,” Gotbaum told New York 1 last night.
Every major newspaper – with the exception of the Staten Island Advance – endorsed the proposal advanced by Mayor Bloomberg’s Charter Revision Commission.
But in a backlash against the hurried summertime hearing process, every good-government group opposed it.
The initiative was hidden in the lower right-hand corner of the ballot and not easily spotted by voters concentrating on pulling the levers for governor and other top offices.
One advocate for the proposal had hoped the low voter turnout in yesterday’s election would lead to the proposal’s demise.
“Low turnout means you get the most committed people, the people who read newspaper editorials,” said the supporter. “Republicans (who are vastly outnumbered by Democrats in the city) are going to go for it.”
Bob McGuire, a former police commissioner who headed the mayor’s charter panel, dismissed that criticism of the change as nonsense.
In fact, McGuire said he himself had “proudly” voted for Gotbaum last year.
The issue hasn’t gotten much attention.
But in recent days, the New York City Partnership, a business group, has been running ads on radio and community papers in support of the administration’s position.
About $40,000 in funding for the lobbying effort has come from four companies that do business with the city, including the New York Mets and Keyspan.
As required by law, every registered voter has also received a guide from the Campaign Finance Board explaining the ballot initiative.
The guide cost more than $1.5 million to produce and mail.