Gotham Gazette

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City Council

City Council

  • Last City Budget Hearing Sets Stage for Final Negotiations

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    Council Member Ferreras-Copeland (photo: John McCarten)


    The City Council held its final hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s $84.86 billion executive budget proposal on Thursday, with Council members raising issues that have persisted throughout budget season and expressing concerns about the federal budget proposal released this week by the Trump administration.

    “The city adopts the Fiscal 2018 budget at a time of great uncertainty about the future of critical programs and services that help many of our most vulnerable populations,” said Council Member Julissa

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  • 4 Interesting Participatory Budgeting Project Winners

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    (photo: Council Member Lander's office)


    After an 11-day window in which over 100,000 residents of pertinent districts cast ballots, the City Council recently announced the winners of the 2016-17 participatory budgeting cycle. Thirty-one of 51 Council districts participated this year, leading to $34 million in capital funds going towards hyper-local projects chosen directly by the districts’ voters.

    A total of 138 projects received funding in this cycle, with most districts backing three to five projects. Some districts awarded funding for many more

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  • Three More State Legislators Seek City Council Seats

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    Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., left, & AM Mark Gjonaj (photo: @RevRubenDiaz)


    There are only a handful of City Council seats opening up this year due to term limits. Of the seven “open” races in the 51-seat Council, all of which are up for election this fall, several feature state legislators seeking to make the jump to the city’s legislative body.

    Seeking to stay closer to home for work, legislators who now have to commute to Albany several days a week for half the year have declared their candidacies. Entering City Council races to succeed a

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  • The May Money Race in 'Open' City Council Seats

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    City Council candidate Justin Branan, left (photo: @JustinBrannan)


    Primary day for this year’s citywide municipal elections is less than four months away and there are seven “open” City Council seats, out of 51, where the incumbent is term-limited from running again. Each race has numerous candidates, and campaign fundraising has heated up as the election draws closer. Most of the open seat Council races will be all-but-decided in the Democratic primary given the nature of the electorate in the districts at play.

    City Council Members Rosie Mendez (District 2), Dan

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, May 22

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall

    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    Mayor Bill de Blasio is in the Bronx this week for the second installment of “City Hall in Your Borough.” He was on Staten Island previously for a week of events, constituent office hours, and meetings. See below for his Monday schedule of events. We know of two other events thus far: the de Blasio administration is holding constituent hours and a resource fair on Tuesday morning and a town hall meeting Wednesday night. He's also said to be attending

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  • City Council Members Question Campaign Finance Board Audit Process

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    City Council Member David Greenfield (photo: @NYCCouncil)


    At a City Council hearing on Friday, representatives of the city’s Campaign Finance Board expected to answer questions about their proposed budget for the next fiscal year but instead found themselves defending their processes for post-election auditing of campaigns.

    One of the Campaign Finance Board’s prime functions is to perform detailed examinations of how candidate campaigns utilize funds and whether they adhere to the strict requirements of campaign finance law. These

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  • Bill Would Transform New Yorkers’ Digital Interaction with Government

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    Council Member Ben Kallos, right, has a new API bill (photo: William Alatriste)


    City Council Member Ben Kallos is always looking for ways to make government more efficient and accessible through technology and the use of data. To that end, Kallos, himself a programmer, introduced a bill last week that would require information generated or

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, May 15

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall

    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    The state Legislature continues its post-budget session in Albany this week -- including Monday there are just 17 days of session left, it ends June 21. There are other events to watch in Albany this week, see below for details.

    In New York City, the City Council continues its hearings this week on Mayor Bill de Blasio's executive budget proposal. The Council and de Blasio must agree on a new city budget by the July 1 start of the new fiscal

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  • Pushing Back, Board of Elections Head Insists on ‘Personal Responsibility’ for Voters

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    Long line of voters (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)


    The executive director of the New York City Board of Elections said at a City Council budget hearing on Friday that recent failings by the board, revealed in a WNYC report, were not entirely the BOE’s responsibility and that voters in New York needed to step up their participation and involvement in ensuring that their votes count.

    WNYC radio’s Brigid Bergin reported

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, May 8

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall

    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    The state Legislature continues its post-budget session in Albany this week -- including Monday there are just 20 days of session left, it ends June 21. There are other hearings and events to watch in Albany this week, see below for details. Governor Andrew Cuomo has been spending little time in Albany since the new state budget passed, the governor has been touring the state celebrating the highlights of the budget deal.

    In New York

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  • At First Executive Budget Hearing, Council Pushes Unfunded Priorities

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    Speaker Mark-Viverito (all photos: John McCarten/City Council)


    The City Council held its first hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s $84.86 billion executive budget for fiscal year 2018 on Thursday, and Council members gave the mayor a mixed review for his updated spending plan. They praised de Blasio for increasing funding for a number of recommendations made by the Council and for taking steps to control the capital budget. But, Council members expressed concern that crucial priorities remained unfunded, or underfunded, even as the latest budget plan increased projected

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, May 1

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall

    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    President Donald Trump is due back in New York City for the first time since taking office this week -- see below for details and expect protests, traffic gridlock, and political statements from all corners.

    The State Legislature continues its post-budget legislative session in Albany, with only six weeks to go. There will be legislation announced and bills voted through as early as Monday. Tuesday will see a group of New Yorkers lobbying for

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  • New York City Council to Host Conference of Municipal Legislative Leaders

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    Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (photo: @NYCCouncil)


    Local legislators from large cities across the country will gather at the New York City Council chambers at City Hall on Friday and Saturday, in a first-of-its-kind conference to exchange ideas on policy, governance and, perhaps most significantly, the challenges cities face under the presidency of Donald Trump.

    City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito first spoke of the conference in her final State of the City speech in February, when she struck a defiant tone against divisive politics and the threats

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  • City Council Examines Data Privacy, Security

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    City Council Member Vacca (seated)


    The Technology Committee of the New York City Council held an oversight hearing Monday on the city’s data privacy policies and data security protocols. A broad variety of more specific topics were covered during the hearing, chaired by Council Member James Vacca, including unauthorized data usage and security breaches; risks related to the expansion of high-speed internet availability and sidewalk wi-fi kiosks; the Worker Connect program that allows New Yorkers to search and apply for public benefits; new efforts at data

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, April 24

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall


    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    Mayor Bill de Blasio had a busy weekend that took a tragic turn. On Saturday, the mayor made an Earth Day announcement on green jobs and spoke at the Sikh Day Parade. On Sunday, the mayor spoke at two churches and appeared on Univision before heading to Queens Village after a fire there killed five people. The mayor addressed the tragedy after being briefed by his fire commissioner. De Blasio was scheduled to speak

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  • City Council Members Opt Out of Campaign Finance Program

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    City Council members, with Brad Lander center (photo: William Alatriste)


    A first-time entrant into the New York City electoral system stands almost as much a chance of running a solid campaign as long-time political insiders and incumbents. That’s because the New York City campaign finance system includes a public matching funds program, which helps levels the playing field by incentivizing local small-dollar contributions, matching them at a 6-to-1 ratio. In doing so, it also reduces the influence of special interests in elections and helps

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  • Consulting Firm with Deep City Ties Adds New Class of Clients, Looks National

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    Carlos Menchaca, center, & other Red Horse clients (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    Ritchie Torres became the current New York City Council’s youngest member in 2014 and the first openly-gay representative from the Bronx. Carlos Menchaca joined the legislative body that same year as its first Mexican-American representative, and the first openly-gay member from Brooklyn. Queens Council Member I. Daneek Miller is the Council’s only Muslim representative. All three are men of color and members of the City Council’s

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, April 17

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall


    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    This week sees a return to action for the City Council after its usual spring break, with several committee hearings, including a few of particular interest, such as the economic development committee on “preparing for the impact of federal travel bans on New York City’s economy” and a general welfare committee oversight hearing examining changes in the city's approach to homelessness one year after a

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  • Investigations Into De Blasio Spurred City Reform, Renewed Calls for State Changes

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Edwin J. Torres/ Mayor's Office)


    Although it was recently announced that Mayor Bill de Blasio and his aides would not be charged in two separate investigations related to their fundraising activities, both cases prompted widespread calls for reform of campaign finance laws and closure of holes that allow, even encourage, a pay-to-play political culture.

    The two parallel investigations, at the state and federal levels, exposed vulnerabilities in the law that allowed the

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  • For a More Accountable NYPD, Improve Information Sharing on Police Misconduct

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    Council Member Dan Garodnick, the author (photo: William Alatriste)


    For decades, the New York City Police Department has had an early intervention system to identify officers prone to violence, based on their discipline and complaint history. Yet through leaks last month, we learned that the officers who killed Eric Garner and Ramarley Graham had extensive records of complaints against them. Despite so many documented

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  • Bill Aims to Increase Agency Accountability on Capital Projects

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    City Council Member Andrew Cohen (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)


    New York City government capital projects -- the building of a school or park, or the reconstruction of a bridge, for example -- are notorious for their delays and tendency to exceed initial budget projections. In an attempt to address these long-standing issues, City Council Member Andrew Cohen of the Bronx is introducing a bill that will require city government agencies to inform communities and their elected officials about expected delays and cost

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  • In a Bind, De Blasio May Explore Legal Defense Fund Legislation

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    Mayor de Blasio at City Hall (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayor's Office)


    When the Conflicts of Interest Board issued an advisory opinion last week limiting donations to legal defense funds set up by public officials, Mayor Bill de Blasio pointed out that the opinion posed a “potential solution” in the form of new legislation and that similar defense funds have long existed in

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, April 3

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall


    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    All eyes are on Albany, where a new state budget is late and negotiations continue. The state’s new fiscal year began Saturday, April 1, but there is still no spending plan from the Governor and Legislature. At about midnight Sunday night, with negotiations at an impasse, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he would move an "extender" budget on Monday and that legislative leaders had said they would pass it. The extender will largely continue state spending as

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, March 27

    New York City Hall

    New York City Hall


    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    Buckle up, it’s the final week before a new state budget is due by midnight Friday -- the start of the new fiscal year is April 1. As always, negotiations are expected to come down to the wire, and it’s likely that the bargains reached at the last minute will be budget and policy decided and voted through with almost no review by rank-and-file legislators or the public. Albany!

    There’s a great deal at stake in

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  • The March Money Race in ‘Open’ City Council Seats

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    Marjorie Velazquez (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    In a February special election, Harlemites voted then-state Senator Bill Perkins to fill a City Council seat vacated by Inez Dickens, who had been previously elected to the state Assembly. Heading toward the regularly-scheduled September primary elections and November general, there are now seven “open” City Council seats in the 51-seat body. These are seats in which the current occupants are term-limited and unable to run for reelection.

    Council Members Rosie Mendez (District 2), Dan Garodnick (District 4),

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