New York, NY – Mayor Bloomberg Trying To Give Nonpartisan Elections Another Push

New York, NY – Mayor Bloomberg’s old dream to change New York elections has a new name – and may soon get new life.

His operatives are quietly studying how to encourage the Charter revision commission to put nonpartisan elections – called “top two” elections – on the ballot in November.

People in Bloomberg’s orbit are sizing up the commission’s 15 members, looking at their interests and thinking how to persuade at least eight of them to agree to give nonpartisan elections another chance.

“If they want eight, what do they have to give for a vote?” asked one person familiar with the effort.

Bloomberg, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-undeclared, has long wanted to get rid of party primaries. In 2003 he spent $7.5 million to push nonpartisan elections in a city referendum, but voters shot it down 70% to 30%.

The dream never died, though, and he was heartened when California voters agreed to a similar plan this year over the objections of Republican and Democratic leaders alike.

It got a boost when Citizens Union reversed its earlier opposition this summer, saying it now supported “top two” elections as a way to encourage voter participation.

“The rebranding of it is Citizens Union’s doing,” said the group’s director, Dick Dadey. “It takes away the sting of the loss from 2003 by properly characterizing what this system is.”

Within the small world of good government groups and election observers, there is grumbling that Citizens Union switched as a favor to Bloomberg.

“This is not about carrying the mayor’s water,” Dadey retorted. “This is about Citizens Union returning to its historic mission as a nonpartisan reform organization.”

Nonpartisan elections get rid of party primaries and let anyone run for city offices in an open September election, with the top two finishers facing off in a November election.

Candidates could list their parties next to their names if they want, and parties could endorse and support candidates, but no party would be guaranteed a line in November.

Bloomberg created the Charter commission this spring to consider restoring the old two-term limit on politicians, but chairman Matthew Goldstein launched an open-ended effort to study all sorts of ideas.

Insiders say they don’t know where Goldstein stands on nonpartisan elections, but that he doesn’t want to put any proposal on the ballot without a broad consensus from most or all of the commissioners – and a sense that New Yorkers would be willing to vote for it this time.

The mayor hasn’t indicated if he wants to take up the battle again. Opponents think he will, and are starting to prepare in case he does.

“It’s clear that the public has no stomach for nonpartisan elections,” warned Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. “Any attempt to put this on the ballot so quickly will rile up the Democratic base.”