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NYC Common Sense, Frank Morano, Crash Victims, Vulnerable Pedestrians, and Advocates Announce Legal Challenge to City Hall’s Dangerous End to E-Vehicle Enforcement

NYC COMMON SENSE, FRANK MORANO, CRASH VICTIMS, VULNERABLE PEDESTRIANS, ELECTED OFFICIALS & ADVOCATES ANNOUNCE LEGAL CHALLENGE TO CITY HALL’S DANGEROUS END TO E-VEHICLE ENFORCEMENT Suit Seeks the Restoration of Protection, Safety & Sanity to City Streets & Sidewalks, Highlights How Absence of Battery Powered Personal Transportation Device Regulation Puts Pedestrians at Risk New York, NY […]

June 29, 2026
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NYC Common Sense Statement on Rent Guidelines Board Vote

“The rent freeze fix was in from the get-go; tonight’s vote was merely a formality, as confirmed by outgoing board member Christina Smyth, who resigned this morning. In her resignation letter, Smyth made clear that the RGB was ‘required to deliver a rent freeze,’ adding that ‘the hearings, the reports, the public comment, the data – none of it was ever going to change the result.’ “The board […]

June 29, 2026
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NYC Common Sense Statement on Horse Drawn Carriages in Central Park

NYC Common Sense released the following statement regarding a horse collapsing and passing away in Central Park:   “After the horrific incident on West Drive and 72nd Street, New Yorkers deserve a firm timeline and details about how and when City Hall intends to make good on then-candidate Mamdani’s 2025 promise to abolish horse carriages from Central Park.   “This problem […]

June 25, 2026
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NYC Common Sense Statement Celebrating Juneteenth

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* NYC Common Sense released the following statement on Juneteenth: “As we honor and recognize the long fight for Black freedom and dignity, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who call NYCHA home are still being denied basic needs – like reliable heat and hot water, working elevators, and apartments free of mold […]

June 25, 2026
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NYC Common Sense Statement on COGE Public Hearing

NYC Common Sense released the following statement regarding the first public hearing of the Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE):   “Rejecting open primaries out of hand is a deliberate effort to disenfranchise more than one million New Yorkers who are already shut out of the elections that determine who represents them. Already under consideration by the previous Charter Revision Commission, dismissing it without debate would be anti-democratic and the antithesis of efficient.  “New […]

June 16, 2026
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Let everyone vote in NYC local elections

New York City is a one-party town. Apart from the Giuliani and Bloomberg years, the Democratic primary victor usually wins the general election by a significant margin. So, in practice, the real election is the closed Democratic primary, in which only enrolled Democrats can vote. As a result, more than one million independent New Yorkers are shut […]

June 3, 2026
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TESTIMONY OF JIM WALDEN, CHAIRMAN OF NYC COMMON SENSE, BEFORE THE CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION AT THE ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BRONX, NY, ON MAY 27, 2026.

Thank you, Chairman Mastro and members of the Charter Revision Commission for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Jim Walden. I am a former Board Member of Citizens Union—New York’s oldest good-government group—and the current Chairman of NYC Common Sense, a newly created City Hall watchdog group. As a lawyer who has litigated […]

May 28, 2026
Press Release
NYC COMMON SENSE RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF THE 2026-27 STATE BUDGET IN ALBANY

NYC Common Sense released the following statement following passage of the 2026-27 state budget in Albany: “The FY 2027 spending plan advanced by the administration is the epitome of robbing Peter to pay Paul. “The executive budget relies heavily on a state bailout – the details of which remain uncertain – as well as a […]

May 28, 2026
Press Release
NEW WATCHDOG GROUP LAUNCHES TO KEEP CITY HALL HONEST

New Non-Partisan Organization Chaired by 2025 Mayoral Candidate and Veteran Attorney Jim Walden Will Champion a Safe, Affordable City for All NEW YORK, NY — NYC Common Sense today launched as an independent, non-partisan watchdog organization dedicated to ensuring New Yorkers have the information they need to evaluate City Hall’s initiatives and championing data-driven policies […]

May 13, 2026