PART 3: REIMAGINING NEW YORK CITY
As one could conclude from reading the BLAC Manifesto, government in New York is not functioning at full capacity and does not represent the people who reside here. Government is too big, yet too ineffective. The existence of certain elected offices has raised concerns that the current configuration of government is ineffective, inefficient, and not being held accountable.
BLAC believes that NYC should re-adapt the configuration under the old city charter where the Borough President held real power with a real budget, the Public Advocate had an official budget, school boards made decisions that impacted our children and the Mayor did not hold overreaching power.
BLAC’s position is “NO POWER, NO OFFICE.” Redistributing the power structure and giving real power to certain elected office will prepare New York to move forward past the pandemic and the financial hardship it has experienced over the last decade. It’s as important as ever that we hold government in New York accountable.
Public Advocate
The office of Public Advocate is similarly a ceremonial position that does not possess legitimate political power. Although they possess the ability to introduce and propose legislation, it is a power that often goes unused. Under the new structure, the Public Advocate would be empowered to introduce a series of bills each year that are seriously considered by the NYC Council. The Public Advocate should also be responsible for and oversee the city’s 311 hotline and have a staff equipped to respond to inquiries through that hotline. With that, the Public Advocate should have control over their own budget in order to adequately serve its purpose.
Borough Presidents
The Borough Presidents also hold very little legitimate political power that hinders their ability to enact real change in government. The initial city charter established the five borough president offices with terms of four years, coinciding with the term of the mayor. Powers included membership and voting on their borough’s local boards (although without veto powers), an office in the borough hall, and appointive powers for a secretary, assistants, and clerks. Along with the mayor, the comptroller and the president of the City Council, each of whom had two votes, the borough presidents each had one vote on the New York City Board of Estimate, which decided matters ranging from budgets to land use. They also assisted in the formulation of more aspects of the city budget and controlling land use, contracts, and franchise powers. BLAC endorses the restoration of powers under the old city charter along with a budget that enables Borough Presidents to hold legitimate public office. Otherwise with no budget and no resources, the Borough President is a waste of government and taxpayer funds.
Mayor
BLAC firmly believes that Mayoral control over the city’s educational policies should be eliminated. The Mayor holds the power to appoint the city’s school chancellor and a majority of the members to the Panel for Educational Policy, which runs the city Department of Education. The mayor is not guaranteed control over the school system in perpetuity. It is left to the State Legislature to renew the mayor’s authority every year or two, and it is set to expire again in 2022. After repeated miscues in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a clear disconnect between the office of Mayor and educational policy in NYC because of Mayoral control, BLAC proposes reinstituting school boards who reside over each borough’s school policies. These officials are elected. This will create a sense of accountability and instill policies that reflect the direct stakeholders involved in our schools from parents and teachers to school administrators. The office of the Mayor, and the operations of the NYC educational system, cannot be left to hang in the balance of uncertainty. Either the Mayor is given control of the educational system in perpetuity, or the role of that office in education must be eliminated entirely.