Overview
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday voided the charter revision commission appointed by Eric Adams and announced the new Commission on Government Efficiency, naming Patrick Gaspard chair and proposing Ann Cheng as executive director.
- City Hall says COGE will review the full New York City Charter to find ways to speed projects, cut bureaucratic red tape, modernize budget and reserve practices, and improve service delivery rather than drive wholesale program cuts.
- The administration plans 10 public hearings across the five boroughs with the first hearing set for June 9 and officials have said the commission may develop amendment proposals for the November ballot.
- Members of the Adams-appointed panel have threatened legal challenges and watchdogs such as Citizens Union warned that the compressed timeline will limit research, public input, and deliberation.
- The commission’s DOGE-like name drew broad political comment with some outlets stressing similarities to the Trump administration’s DOGE while Mamdani rejects that comparison, and the change relies on a state budget provision and Municipal Home Rule Law that allowed appointments and prior proposals to be nullified.