Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to veto a bill that would limit mayoral authority is already giving newly‑elected Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani a head start.
The governor’s move has left many City Council members quietly upset, as the bill would have ended the mayor’s ability to “bump” proposed charter changes off the ballot.
Council‑approved amendments to the city charter have, in practice, been able to be overridden by the mayor—an arrangement the proposed legislation would have removed.
A council spokesperson said the veto was a “disappointing” move that keeps the “major threat to democracy and good governance” intact for New York City and other localities in the state.
State law, according to the spokesperson, shouldn’t continue enabling mayors to block ballot access for local lawmakers and voters from putting referenda on the ballot without proper checks.
The council’s current role is to make sure that suggested charter amendments can be put to a vote by New Yorkers, but the mayor can still sideline them by forming a charter revision commission, as Mayor Eric Adams did earlier this year.
Had Hochul signed the bill, the mayor would have lost that power.
State Senator Liz Krueger, who introduced the measure, noted it wouldn’t strip the mayor of the right to set up a commission or place his own proposals on the ballot; it would simply allow the council and the public to have a say as well.
Krueger, who supported the bill, wondered if Mamdani had asked Hochul to pull back on the veto.
The incoming mayor has already found himself at odds with city legislators since winning the last month’s election.
Neither Mamdani nor Hochul responded to reporters on Monday.
In her veto letter, Hochul expressed concern that the bill would cause confusion and disrupt the charters of other cities in the state, saying that allowing multiple sets of proposals from different commissions to appear on the ballot could create “conflicting proposals, voter confusion and the passage of inconsistent policies.”
Her office did not answer a request for further comment.
The bill would also have stopped the mayor from pulling charter revisions that ordinary citizens petition for onto the ballot.
Assemblymember Tony Simone said the veto was a clear sign that the mayor still holds too much power over the council’s agenda.
“I am disappointed by this veto and will continue working towards reform in the new year,” he told The Post.
Both Simone and Krueger backed Mamdani in the general election.
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