Hold onto your hats, folks—Governor Kathy Hochul just dropped a veto bomb that’s shaking up New York City’s power dynamics.

By rejecting a bill that would’ve stripped the NYC mayor’s ability to block City Council-proposed City Charter changes from reaching the ballot, Hochul has handed a major win to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the Gothamist reported. 

This story starts with a contentious Albany measure, sparked by outgoing Mayor Eric Adams’ habit of sidelining City Council proposals for charter revisions—changes that need voter approval to take effect.

Hochul's Veto Preserves Executive Power Balance

Adams cleverly used his own charter commission to push ballot questions focused on speeding up housing development, while blocking the Council’s ideas and even curbing their land-use authority.

The Council’s proposals weren’t small potatoes—one would’ve let voters decide on a process to oust a mayor for misconduct, while another aimed to give the Council more say over top mayoral appointments.

Enter Governor Hochul, who earlier this month said “no thanks” to the legislation, arguing it could disrupt the balance of power not just in NYC, but across all 62 cities in New York State.

Mamdani Gains a Strategic Advantage Early

“This bill—seemingly prompted by concerns regarding New York City's charter revision process—could reshape the relationship between the branches of government in cities throughout the state,” Hochul stated in her veto message.

Translation: she’s not about to let a progressive push in Albany upend executive authority statewide just to settle a Big Apple grudge. That’s a rare dose of common sense in a state often drowning in overreach.

Now, this veto is a golden ticket for Mamdani, who hasn’t even taken office yet but already wields a tool to shape city governance on his terms.

City Council Faces Uphill Ballot Battle

Political watchers reckon Mamdani will likely follow Adams’ playbook, setting up his own charter commission to prioritize his agenda—potentially sidelining Council proposals for the third straight year.

“The governor's veto also makes it highly likely that Mayor Mamdani, who we believe backed the veto, will create his own charter commission and bump the City Council's charter proposals for the third time in three years,” said John Kaehny, head of the government watchdog group Reinvent Albany.

Sorry, City Council, but it looks like your dreams of ballot access are stuck in bureaucratic traffic—again—while Mamdani gets to steer the conversation.

Mamdani’s Safety Department Plan Takes Center Stage

One of Mamdani’s pet projects is creating a Department of Community Safety to handle certain mental health emergencies instead of the NYPD, a move that would require a City Charter amendment.

While experts like sociology professor Alex Vitale note interim options exist, and Councilmember Julie Menin suggests an executive order could kick things off, the veto keeps Mamdani’s path to a full charter change wide open.

Stephen Louis, counsel at the Center for New York City and State Law, pointed out that Hochul’s decision maintains executive muscle—something conservatives can appreciate when progressive policies often seem to hog the spotlight. It’s a reminder that governance isn’t just about feel-good reforms; it’s about who holds the reins, and right now, Mamdani’s got a firm grip as he prepares to take office.