Queens Citizens Blast Panel at Charter Hearing

The panel heard the vehemently voiced concerns of citizens on a number of issues that the Commission was supposed to address including the removal of the offices of Public Advocate and Independent Budget Council. What they got was a barrage of comments on the purpose and validity of the Commission itself.
Commission Chair Peter Powers stated at the onset of the hearing that the panel would be "considering any and all issues" in the revision process and that citizens would have a limited time of three minutes to address them.
With the exception of calling the names of those who addressed the forum, Commission members hardly spoke thereafter.
In fact, a number of Commission members appeared to be dozing off to sleep at times as residents delivered sometimes impassioned remarks.
Lead speaker, Queens Borough President Claire Shulman testified in front of the Commission with prepared remarks that went on at length about proposed charter revisions regarding land use and the City budget stating she hoped that a revision of the City charter "would bring government and people together." But the following speakers showed just how far apart citizens and the Commission were.
City Councilwoman Juanita Watkins was "troubled that in a city where 50 percent of residents were other than caucasian, this [the Commission] was a poor reflection of the City."
Community Activist Joyce Shepard won over the crowd by calling the panel "a farce, hired to do the Mayor’s dirty work" drawing applause from many in the room.
Behind the furor of most residents is the debate between City Council Speaker Peter Vallone who wants to place a referendum on the November ballot to decide whether or not City residents want The New York Yankees to move from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to a proposed stadium on Manhattan’s West Side and Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s appointment of a Charter Revision Commission which critics view as an attempt to block the Yankee Stadium vote. An election law states no other referendum can appear on the ballot when a referendum on change to the City charter appears.
A vexed Bob Harris, president of the West Cunningham Civic Association, questioned the Commission by directly asking "What are you doing? Why are you here?" expressing along with many who spoke before him that the Office of Public Advocate should remain intact "continuing to serve as an ombudsman" between the people and the Mayor.
Earlier in the day, Powers had sent a memo to the members of the Commission saying that the elimination of the offices of Public Advocate and the Independent Budget Council should be taken off the Commission’s hit list.
He also said that the body should only deal with issues that will be "attainable" between now and November’s referendum.
The panel was hurriedly appointed by Giuliani and the five borough hearings were quickly slated to take place around the 4th of July vacation weeks.
The mood of Queens residents at the meeting was captured by Sean Walsh, president of the Queens Civic Congress who said, "The process of revising the City charter is a very serious matter that goes to the heart of our democracy. The last charter revision spent two years in preparing its proposals and had numerous public debates over a nine month period. You have allowed a mere four months, most of which are during the summer to discuss this serious matter."
Walsh concluded by saying that his group would "call on the Mayor to immediately dissolve this Commission because there is no demonstrable need and there is insufficient time for serious public debate on this subject."