By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CITY HALL — Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed a Charter Revision Commission on Wednesday, finally fulfilling a commitment he made more than two years ago and again last year when he successfully pushed to overturn term limits.
The commission will be chaired by CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, who will keep his day job, and will be comprised of members from both the public and private sectors. They will hold hearings in all five boroughs to receive public input on how the city's charter can be improved.
"I’ve charged this Charter Revision Commission with reaching out to every community, analyzing every idea on the merits, and proposing changes that will improve the lives of New Yorkers," Bloomberg said in a statement. "Every issue will be on the table, and every voice will be heard."
But some local politicians, including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, remained skeptical of the mayor's plan.
"[T]he only problem I can envision with the Charter Revision Commission announced today by Mayor Bloomberg is that it will fail to live up to expectations," Stringer said in a statement.
"The surest way to prevent that from happening is for the mayor to reassure New Yorkers that this will not be the down-and-dirty process we have been disappointed by in the past."
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio praised the mayor for forming the commission, but stressed in a statement that the commission must really take the public's feedback into account when revising the charter.
