Gotham Gazette

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Open Government

Open Government

Measuring Constituent Complaints: Round One


A pillar of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's last two state of the city addresses, the complaint measuring service, called CouncilStat (similar to the Police Department's Compstat), is supposed to catapult the council into the digital age, measuring what irks residents across the five boroughs.

As part of the service, the council committeed to issue monthly reports detailing the types of complaints in council districts and citywide. The first of those reports was released last week not only four months late, but some constituents say, the stats in CouncilStat are disappointingly absent.

A New System

The council's new system, which received some criticism at its onset for being redundant of the mayor's 311 non-emergency hotline, tracks and registers constituent complaints across districts in one database.

Last year, Quinn has said, most district offices were still pushing paper. Councilstat was not only meant to update offices' technology, but give districts a venue for intra and inter borough communication and make complaint records more accessible.

"I think it gives council members and their staff a temperature of what is happening in their respective districts," said Councilmember Letitia James. "It's also instrumental in assisting you in drafting and guiding policy decisions."

By pooling constituent data, council members could track what problems persisted beyond one's district and legislate possible solutions. All of the data would allow the council to see patterns throughout the city and enable them to enact better legislation, said Quinn in a prepared statement at the data's release last week.

After the initial announcement last November, the council slated the release of this data in March, along with every month thereafter. Delays persisted -- some attribute them to the budget scandal and fiscal negotiations in general -- and the first batch of statistics was released last week.

The Data

According to the council, CouncilStat has lodged more than 24,000 complaints so far covering more than 280 district issues. The data it released last week covers only June -- or 2,500 calls that month.

According to the handful of graphs the council released, housing and buildings issues are the source of constituents' largest complaints citywide, about 29 percent. That category could span anything from an eviction to a search for affordable housing. A breakdown of what particular issues were included in each category -- categories range from transportation to public safety -- was not provided in the documents released by the council.

District by district snapshots also were not in the documents, though members said they had received detailed reports.

Housing and buildings accounted for 24 percent of complaints in Brooklyn, 32 percent in Manhattan, 24 percent in Staten Island and 16 percent in Queens. It was the top issue in every borough, except Queens where parks issues ran supreme at 17 percent of logged complaints.

Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo of the Bronx, where housing issues comprised 29 percent of constituent complaints in June, said the data did not tell her office anything it didn't already know: Housing is an issue in New York City.

"We understand the nuances of the issue surrounding housing," said Arroyo, who recognized the category could cover a vast array of topics. "It just confirms something we already knew. It helps us confirm it in a more formal way."

Elsewhere, environmental issues came in second for both Staten Island and Queens, while transportation complaints were the runner-ups in the Bronx, Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Missing Pieces

While the council's data confirms that housing and buildings issues run paramount for New Yorkers, some remain disappointed by the data.

Arthur Springer, a resident of the Upper West Side, sees the release of CouncilStat data, or lack thereof, as a sign of diminishing constituent service in New York City. He has logged several complaints via CouncilStat and seen nothing more than an automated response -- not service improvement.

"Government responsiveness to constituents was assumed in my generation and it no longer is, because legislators at all levels tend to be responsive to their contributors and campaign supporters," said Springer.

Several council members said there was a "learning curve" and since the project was just started improvements will inevitably follow its first release.

A council spokesperson said the council is "proud" of the CouncilStat service, recognizes that it's still in its infancy and expects improvements every month.  

On to the Primary


New York Primaries Campaign 2008
Gotham Gazette image by Ya-Hsuan Huang

This year's crop of political hopefuls in New York City went through their first official winnowing last week. It was filing deadline for New York candidates for the state legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives and some judgeships.

After months of fulminations and exploring, possible candidates had to determine whether they were serious about running for office this fall. If they were, they had to collect signatures and file petitions. Those who were not in earnest will have to wait until next year -- or the year after that. Although filing does not guarantee a candidate a place on the ballot, it represents a necessary step in a candidacy for incumbents and challengers alike.

This year, all the state's legislators -- in the State Senate and Assembly -- and its members of the U.S. House of Representatives, along with candidates for various judgeships, must face the voters.

To keep you informed on the latest in an election year that could bring change to Albany as well as to Washington, D.C., Gotham Gazette features:

Illustration

Who’s Running for What: Our listing of candidates for state office this year and city office in 2009 now reflects who actually filed for office last week. Based on Board of Election records, this is the most current list of who will appear on the September primary and November general election ballots for Congress and the legislature. We have also added judicial races along with some photos and links to campaign Web sites -- and campaign finance information (look for the latestfilings soon). And we continue to update the lists of candidates for city office in 2009.

Just type in the office that interests you, the name of the incumbent or the name of a candidate to find out who represents you now -- and who wants your vote.

INDIVUDAL CONTESTS

Between now and the elections, Gotham Gazette will offer original reporting on some of the key races to represent New York City in Congress, the State Senate and the State Legislature.

NY State Senate Dist 21

In Flatbush, Running with Baggage (21st Senate District): Ethnic politics could play a key role in this campaign where incumbent Kevin Parker will face off against two term-limited City Council members in search of their next political job.

NY State Senate Dist 25

A Battle over Reform (25th Senate District): Longtime incumbent Martin Connor faces a challenge from Daniel Squadron in a campaign where both candidates call for change in Albany but disagree over how to deliver it.

NY State Assembly Dist 64

Running Against Albany on Manhattan's Lower East Side (64th Assembly District): One of the state's most powerful men -- Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver -- faces two political novices bidding for political history in his rapidly changing home district.

NY State Assembly Dist 72

A House Divided in Washington Heights (72nd Assembly District): At Manhattan's northern tip, term-limited City Councilmember Miguel Martinez is taking on his one-time political mentor, longtime incumbent Adriano Espaillat.

ALSO IN GOTHAM GAZETTE

Let the Challenges Begin: Now that the petitions have been filed, the legal maneuvering starts as candidates take advantage of New York's complicated election laws to try to knock rivals off the ballot.

Donkey Con Game

Donkey Con: Just how hard is it to take on an incumbent politician in New York? Play Gotham Gazette's version of a video arcade classic to find out.

A Tougher Year for Incumbents?: With Democrats on the verge of taking the State Senate from Republicans and a host of term-limited City Council members looking for a new job, this year's legislative elections could be far more competitive than usual. A preview of some of the key state contests.

 

Discretionary Spending: FY09


For the first time, the council disclosed which members backed what projects -- and we tally the results. Read the full article

This chart did not include Councilmember Melissa Mark Viverito when first published. It was updated on July 14.

COUNCILMEMBERS TOTAL CAPITAL FUNDING PROGRAM OR EXPENSE FUNDING
Domenic M. Recchia Jr.
$23,513,000
$886,000
David I. Weprin
$18,060,000
$634,000
SPEAKER*
$16,086,000
$16,491,500
Melissa Mark Viverito
$9,256,000
$200,000
Rosie Mendez
$8,988,000
$152,700
Inez E. Dickens
$8,960,000
$616,500
Lewis Fidler
$8,794,000
$985,000
Larry B. Seabrook
$8,550,000
$362,875
Michael E. McMahon
$8,210,000
$940,000
James Sanders
$8,110,000
$574,500
Jessica A. Lappin
$7,905,000
$203,150
Erik Martin Dilan
$7,520,000
$473,000
James Vacca
$7,389,000
$410,375
Gale A. Brewer
$7,331,000
$105,000
James S. Oddo
$6,890,000
$602,500
Miguel Martinez
$6,730,000
$387,000
Robert Jackson
$6,698,000
$374,500
John C. Liu
$6,656,000
$140,000
Maria del Carmen Arroyo
$6,617,000
$377,875
Diana Reyna
$6,184,000
$331,125
Leroy G. Comrie Jr.
$5,850,000
$748,500
Thomas White, Jr.
$5,788,000
$275,000
Joseph P. Addabbo
$5,251,000
$287,000
Peter F. Vallone, Jr.
$5,140,000
$852,500
Alan Gerson
$5,109,000
$100,000
Helen Sears
$5,023,000
$153,500
Joel Rivera
$4,841,000
$604,025
Kendall Stewart
$4,787,000
$152,500
David Yassky
$4,743,000
$343,000
Bill de Blasio
$4,364,000
$607,250
Annabel Palma
$4,309,000
$418,375
Albert Vann
$4,240,000
$256,000
Vincent Ignizio
$4,225,000
$199,000
Letitia James
$4,125,000
$233,500
Christine C. Quinn
$4,121,000
$448,000
Hiram Monserrate
$4,050,000
$80,000
Helen D. Foster
$4,020,000
$101,461
G. Oliver Koppell
$3,871,000
$212,875
James F. Gennaro
$3,850,000
$242,000
Vincent Gentile
$3,800,000
$150,000
Maria Baez
$3,502,000
$132,875
Sara M. Gonzalez
$3,460,000
$243,500
Anthony Como
$3,275,000
$130,000
Melinda R. Katz
$3,045,000
$200,000
Eric N. Gioia
$3,012,000
$100,000
Simcha Felder
$2,985,000
$198,500
Darlene Mealy
$2,550,000
$80,000
Charles Barron
$2,270,000
$121,464
Daniel R. Garodnick
$2,175,000
$101,500
Michael C. Nelson
$2,165,000
$325,000
Tony Avella
$2,000,000
$80,000
Mathieu Eugene
$750,000
$103,500


**Funding labeled speaker is allocated by the speaker, with advice from the council body, and given for larger, citywide initiatives.

 



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