Blaz’s push for ballot questions

Mayor de Blasio can’t tell you this while he’s on the city clock, but he wants you to vote yes on three questions that will be on the back of ballots Tuesday.

Hizzoner held a rally to stump for the ballot questions, drawn up by a Charter Revision Commission he called to look into campaign finance and electoral issues earlier this year.

The proposals — reducing contribution limits and increasing public matching funds for candidates, creating a civic engagement commission, and setting term limits and a city-wide standard application process for community board members — will go before voters.

"When you flip your ballot, vote yes, vote yes, and then vote yes again,” de Blasio said at the event, held in the offices of Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, which is part a coalition boosting the proposals.

The mayor — and other city officials — can’t give that message while they’re doing city business, according to guidance from the Law Department. At least one de Blasio staffer has taken a leave to stump for the campaign, while the mayor defended sending out advisories for Thursday’s rally from his government office.

“No, I am not going against the directive of the Law Department. No, I am not breaking the law,” de Blasio said. “Because I have a 24/7 job, when I’m involved in the political process, I’m still going to have press conferences about that as well, and I’m still going to take questions about governmental matters, and of course my governmental communications people have to be there for something like that and of course we have to schedule something like that.”

Several other prominent elected officials have opposed some of charter revision proposals.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer has spearheaded a coalition of officials urging a vote against the civic engagement commission and a proposal for term limits for community board members.