Mamdani kills ex-Mayor Adams' charter review commission; starts his own

Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News on May 28, 2026

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NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani killed ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ charter revision commission and instead is launching one of his own — with its name a riff on Elon Musk’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency — he said Thursday.

The new commission — called the Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE — will be led by Patrick Gaspard, an outside adviser to the mayor.

The body will examine the city charter with a focus on streamlining the processes and procedures of city government, “and that means looking at anything we can do to deliver a more efficient and more excellent government,” the mayor said at a press conference in Astoria Thursday, adding that Musk’s influence over the commission was in name only.

The move comes just hours after Mamdani nixed ex-Mayor Adams’ charter revision commission, wielding newly granted powers to do so that were secured in the state budget. A new state law included at Mamdani’s request in the two-month-late budget grants him the power to accept or reject commissions created by the lame-duck mayor.

A legal challenge is likely. Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for the commission, called Mamdani’s process “blatantly illegal” and said the now-disbanded commission is prepared to “pursue all available legal remedies.”

“I think that in New York City you can always expect some kind of a legal response to a decision that you make,” Mamdani said of a potential lawsuit.

The zombie commission was one of the final land mines Adams left behind for his successor. It was formed on Adams’ last day in office with the goal of exploring open primary elections, which could negatively impact Mamdani’s chances of reelection in 2029 if approved.

“Evidently, the idea of New Yorkers having a voice in the future of their city — and the right to vote in open primaries — terrifies City Hall,” Mamelak said in a statement. “So much so that they asked their friends in Albany to quietly slip legislation into the state budget in an attempt to retroactively derail a duly constituted Charter Revision Commission, while simultaneously trying to create a sham commission.”

Henry Garrido, executive director of the powerful union District Council 37; Ruth Messinger, former Manhattan borough president and immigration advocate; ex-City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, current president of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing; Kathryn Wylde, former president of the Partnership for New York; and Emma Wolfe, a top de Blasio administration official, will also serve on the commission.

Good government group Citizens Union, in a statement, called Mamdani’s commission “rushed.”

“If it seeks to put charter reform questions before voters in November, it will have less time to seek public input, conduct research, and deliberate than even the highly criticized, rushed commission established by Eric Adams in 2024,” the organization said, slamming the “chaotic back-and-forth” between Mamdani and Adams.

Mamdani’s commission is slated to have its first public meeting on June 4 at 5 p.m.

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