Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

DCAS

DCAS

  • Amid Debate Over Agency Vacancies, NYC Government Workforce Report More Than Two Years Late

    On the job (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) is preparing to publish its latest annual workforce report, which details the demographics of the city government’s massive workforce and trends in employee turnover. But the report is already obsolete, given it is to cover the 2020 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2020, at the height of the pandemic, and will fail to shine a light on how the municipal workforce has changed in the last two years.

    DCAS’ report, which was most recently published last year and covered the

    ...
  • Creating Career Pathways for Veterans in New York City Government

    Veterans Day at City Hall (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    Democracy is an ideal that is central to who we are as Americans, but it’s an ideal that must be advanced and defended by each generation. While we are fortunate to have the freedom to choose our elected leaders and have a voice in our government, this freedom has been secured and defended by our military veterans. Their willingness to serve and sacrifice represents the highest calling in public service, and we owe these heroes an enormous debt of gratitude.  

    ...

  • City Officials Discuss Managing the Frontline Workforce During Covid and Bringing Nearly Everyone Back to the Office Now

    3 city gov every

    Welcome Back to City Hall (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    While many employers in New York City and beyond were shutting their doors, laying off workers, and severely cutting operations when the pandemic hit last year, others kept providing essential services. That latter group included New York City government, the country’s eighth-largest employer. And while many thousands of city workers shifted to remote work, most did not.

    Essential city operations like sanitation, water, schools, fire and police departments, food delivery, and

    ...
  • To Advance Racial Equity, Encouraging City Employees to Have Difficult Conversations

    schools chancellor roundtable

    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said. Nearly 53 years since his death, the causes for which he is most famously remembered – civil rights and social justice – remain just as urgent and relevant today. While it has long been true, this reality crystalized for many Americans over the past year as a result of high-profile police killings of unarmed Black men and women, including the brutal murders of George

    ...
  • De Blasio Administration Opposes Council Bill to Create 'City Restart Officer'

    de Blasio city hall reopening govt

    Mayor de Blasio at City Hall (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Brooklyn City Council Member Laurie Cumbo, a Democrat and the Council’s Majority Leader, wants to establish a new position in city government to oversee the reopening of city government after the coronavirus shutdown. Her bill (Intro. 1950) would create and require the position of “City Restart

    ...
  • City's Energy Reduction Program Saves Millions

    solar panels de Blasio energy 

    A city energy announcement (Ed Reed/Mayor’s Office)


    A de Blasio administration program to reduce the energy consumption of city agencies has yielded millions of dollars in rebates for the city from energy providers.

    The Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which manages properties and resources for city agencies, received $9.3 million for cutting back on energy use during peak demand hours last summer. The program, called Demand Response, is in place at 414 municipal facilities and cultural institutions under 25

    ...
  • City Council Examines Sexual Harassment Policies, Considers New Laws

    Helen Rosenthal women

    Council Member Rosenthal and others (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    As the nation grapples with how to confront sexual misconduct, the New York City Council is addressing the issue in its oversight and legislative capacities. On Wednesday, Council members held a press conference and subsequent hearing on “best practices” for preventing sexual harassment, identifying current city government protocols, and considering a slate of new legislation.

    The 45-minute press conference outside City Hall featured about a dozen Council members, along

    ...