At our October 9th Queens Village Republican Club meeting, City Councilman Robert Holden sounded the alarm: when you go to vote, turn over your ballot and vote NO on all six proposals.
These so-called “ballot proposals” are not harmless. They represent sweeping changes to the New York City Charter—the city’s governing document—and to the New York State Constitution. Councilman Holden made it clear: these proposals are crafted to deceive voters with feel-good language like “affordable housing” while concealing their true intent—to strip local communities of control and hand unprecedented power to unelected bureaucrats and developers.
Mayor Adams created the Charter Revision Commission and filled it with his own appointees, who now serve as rubber stamps for his agenda. The result is a set of proposals that override your elected officials, civic organizations, and community boards. It’s Mayor Adam’s gift to his developer friends, who have returned the favor with millions of dollars in contributions to his campaign coffers when he was running for mayor. These proposals include his destructive Housing Proposals 2, 3 and 4, which have misleading descriptions that hide their real impact: to take away your power.
Councilman Holden described these proposals as “the City of Yes on steroids,” because they fast-track radical rezoning schemes that would flood quiet residential neighborhoods with high-density development, all without meaningful public input or accountability.
Here is a guide to the six proposals you’ll see on the ballot this November. Don’t be fooled by the misleading wording. Each one erodes community control and strengthens the hand of City Hall insiders.
Proposal 1: Amend the State Constitution to allow an Olympic Sports Complex on state-owned forest land in the Adirondacks.
This doesn’t affect us directly, but opens the door to further encroachment on protected state lands, and the potential for government corruption. Vote NO.
Proposal 2: Transfers local zoning and housing approval power from your elected representatives to unelected mayoral appointees.
This proposal eliminates community oversight and fast-tracks the construction of high-density public housing in the community districts that produce the least affordable housing. That means our own low-density residential neighborhoods, which would become alien to us if this proposal along with 3 and 4 passes. Once passed, you will lose all control over what gets built in your community, and there’s nothing you could do to stop it. Vote NO.
Proposal 3: Fast-tracks housing approvals and shortens public review periods to just 90 days.
This undermines community input and allows developments to move forward before residents even have time to respond. Vote NO.
Proposal 4: Creates an “Affordable Housing Appeals Board” that can override City Council votes and community objections.
This new board—controlled by the Mayor, Borough President, and Council Speaker—would silence your local representatives and empower developers to bypass neighborhood concerns about schools, parks, and infrastructure. Vote NO.
Proposal 5: Centralizes and digitizes the City Map under the Department of City Planning.
Currently, each borough maintains its own maps, allowing for local oversight. This change concentrates control in one Manhattan-based agency and removes borough-level transparency. Vote NO.
Proposal 6: Moves City elections to coincide with Presidential election years.
While this may sound convenient, it’s designed to bury local issues under the national spotlight and diminish the voice of neighborhood voters. Keep Federal and City election dates in separate years the way they are. Vote NO.
Your Voice, Your Neighborhood
Mayor Adams’ six deceptive proposals would permanently weaken local democracy and hand control to City Hall and politically connected developers. Don’t be misled by the sugar-coated ballot language. When you vote, turn over your ballot and vote NO on all six proposals.Remember: your neighborhood is on the ballot— voting matters and elections have consequences.
These guidelines were compiled from Councilman Holden’s October 9th presentation, whatsonmyballot.nyc, and other sources.
