Byline: JAY JOCHNOWITZ Staff writer
How powerful should the mayor be?
A special panel established to revise the city's constitution, or charter, is wrestling with that question.
The 19-member Albany City Charter Review Commission has agreed to continue Albany's longstanding tradition of a strong mayor form of government. But the committee seems deadlocked as it attempts to strike a balance between the Common Council and the mayor.
Currently the city has one of the weakest Common Councils in the nation and many on the panel say a change is overdue. The charter granted by Gov. Thomas Dongan hasn't undergone an overhaul since 1686.
After a year of mostly civil discourse, the commission erupted into arguments last month as it tried to agree on a draft. Its members generally break into two camps -- those who favor giving the mayor most of the power, and those who want the Common Council to have more say, particularly on the budget and over public boards that directly affect neighborhoods and citizens, such as planning and assessment.
With each side holding about seven core …
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