New York City Council
Encyclopedia
The New York City Council is the law
making body of the City of New York
. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs
. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government
model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and makes land use
decisions as well as legislating on a variety of other issues. The City Council also has sole responsibility for approving the city budget
and each member is limited to three consecutive terms in office and can run again after a four year respite.
The head of the City Council is called the Speaker
, and is currently Christine Quinn, a Democrat. The Speaker sets the agenda and presides at meetings of the City Council. Proposed legislation is submitted through the Speaker's Office. There are 46 Democratic
council members led by Majority Leader Joel Rivera
. The five Republican
council members are led by Minority Leader James Oddo
.
The Council has 35 committees with oversight of various functions of the city government. Each council member sits on at least three standing, select or subcommittees (listed below). The standing committees meet at least once per month. The Speaker of the Council, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader are all ex officio members of every committee.
Council members are elected every four years, except for two consecutive two year terms every twenty years to allow for redistricting between the terms due to the national census
(starting in 2001 and 2003 for the 2000 Census and again in 2021 and 2023 for the 2020 Census).
.
On February 2, 1653, the town of New Amsterdam, founded on the southern tip of Manhattan Island in 1625, was incorporated as a city under a charter issued by the Dutch West India Company
. A Council of Legislators sat as the local lawmaking body and as a court of inferior jurisdiction.
During the 18th and 19th centuries the local legislature was called the Common Council and then the Board of Aldermen. In 1898 the amalgamation charter of the City of Greater New York
renamed and revamped the Council and added a New York City Board of Estimate
with certain administrative and financial powers. After a number of changes through the ensuing years, the present Council was born in 1938 under a new charter which instituted the Council as the sole legislative body and the New York City Board of Estimate as the chief administrative body. Certain functions of the Council, however, remained subject to the approval of the Board.
A system of proportional representation
known as Single Transferable Voting seated a 26-member Council in 1938 to serve two-year terms. The term was extended to four years in 1945 to coincide with the term of the Mayor. Proportional representation was abolished in 1947. It was replaced by a system of electing one Council Member from each New York State Senate
district within the city. The Charter also provided for the election of two Council Members-at-large from each of the five boroughs. In June 1983, however, a federal court ruled that the 10 at-large seats violated the United States Constitution's one-person, one-vote mandate.
In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that the Board of Estimate also violated the one-person, one-vote mandate. In response, the new Charter abolished the Board of Estimate and provided for the redrawing of the Council district lines to increase minority representation on the Council. It also increased the number of Council Members from 35 to 51. The Council was then granted full power over the municipal budget, as well as authority over zoning, land use and franchises.
In 1993 the New York City Council voted to rename the position of President of the City Council to the Public Advocate
. The Public Advocate presides over all stated meetings of the New York City Council. As the presiding officer, the Public Advocate is an ex officio member of all committees in the Council, and in that capacity has the right to introduce and co-sponsor legislation.
A two-term limit
was imposed on City Council members and citywide elected officials after a 1993 referendum. The movement to introduce term limits was led by Ronald Lauder
, a cosmetics heir. In 1996, voters turned down a Council proposal to extend term limits. Lauder spent $4 million on the two referendums.
In 2008, however, at the urging of Mayor Michael Bloomberg
(who, like many Council members, would have exhausted his two terms in 2009), the Council voted 29-22 to extend this limit to three terms, after defeating (by a vote of 22-28 with one abstention) an amendment to submit the issue to public referendum. Legal challenges to the extension failed in Federal court, and a proposed law in the New York State Legislature to override the extension was not passed.
and City Comptroller
, one of the three municipal officers directly elected by all of the City's voters, and also the person who — when the elected Mayor resigns, dies, or otherwise loses the ability to serve — becomes Acting Mayor until the next special or regular election.
Until 1989, these three officers, together with the five Borough President
s, constituted the New York City Board of Estimate.
Political campaigns have traditionally tried to balance their candidates for these three offices to appeal as wide a range as possible of the City's political, geographical, social, ethnic and religious constituencies (and, when possible, to both sexes).
Ardolph L. Kline, Joseph V. McKee
, and Vincent R. Impellitteri
Became Acting Mayor upon the death or resignation of the elected Mayor.
John Purroy Mitchel
, Vincent R. Impellitteri, and Fiorello H. La Guardia Later won election as Mayor.
Fiorello H. La Guardia, Joseph V. McKee, Rudolph Halley
, Newbold Morris
, Carol Bellamy
, and Mark J. Green
were Unsuccessful candidate for Mayor in a subsequent general election.
Alfred E. Smith (Al Smith) later ran five times (four of them successful) for Governor of the State of New York, and ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States
in 1928.
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
making body of the City of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government
Mayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and makes land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
decisions as well as legislating on a variety of other issues. The City Council also has sole responsibility for approving the city budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
and each member is limited to three consecutive terms in office and can run again after a four year respite.
The head of the City Council is called the Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
, and is currently Christine Quinn, a Democrat. The Speaker sets the agenda and presides at meetings of the City Council. Proposed legislation is submitted through the Speaker's Office. There are 46 Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
council members led by Majority Leader Joel Rivera
Joel Rivera
Joel Rivera is the Majority Leader of the New York City Council. Elected in a special election in 2001 at 22 years of age, Rivera was the youngest person ever elected to the New York City Council in its history.-Early life and education:...
. The five Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
council members are led by Minority Leader James Oddo
James Oddo
James S. Oddo is a Republican politician from Staten Island, currently serving as Minority Leader in the New York City Council. He is one of five Republicans serving on the Council.-Early life and career:...
.
The Council has 35 committees with oversight of various functions of the city government. Each council member sits on at least three standing, select or subcommittees (listed below). The standing committees meet at least once per month. The Speaker of the Council, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader are all ex officio members of every committee.
Council members are elected every four years, except for two consecutive two year terms every twenty years to allow for redistricting between the terms due to the national census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
(starting in 2001 and 2003 for the 2000 Census and again in 2021 and 2023 for the 2020 Census).
History
The history of the New York City Council can be traced to Dutch colonial days when New York City was called New AmsterdamNew Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
.
On February 2, 1653, the town of New Amsterdam, founded on the southern tip of Manhattan Island in 1625, was incorporated as a city under a charter issued by the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
. A Council of Legislators sat as the local lawmaking body and as a court of inferior jurisdiction.
During the 18th and 19th centuries the local legislature was called the Common Council and then the Board of Aldermen. In 1898 the amalgamation charter of the City of Greater New York
City of Greater New York
The City of Greater New York was a term commonly used originally to refer to the expanded city created on January 1, 1898 by the incorporation into the city of Richmond County, Kings County, Queens County, and the eastern part of what is now called The Bronx...
renamed and revamped the Council and added a New York City Board of Estimate
New York City Board of Estimate
The New York City Board of Estimate was a governmental body in New York City, responsible for budget and land-use decisions. Under the charter of the newly amalgamated City of Greater New York the Board of Estimate and Apportionment was composed of eight ex officio members: the Mayor of New York...
with certain administrative and financial powers. After a number of changes through the ensuing years, the present Council was born in 1938 under a new charter which instituted the Council as the sole legislative body and the New York City Board of Estimate as the chief administrative body. Certain functions of the Council, however, remained subject to the approval of the Board.
A system of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
known as Single Transferable Voting seated a 26-member Council in 1938 to serve two-year terms. The term was extended to four years in 1945 to coincide with the term of the Mayor. Proportional representation was abolished in 1947. It was replaced by a system of electing one Council Member from each New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
district within the city. The Charter also provided for the election of two Council Members-at-large from each of the five boroughs. In June 1983, however, a federal court ruled that the 10 at-large seats violated the United States Constitution's one-person, one-vote mandate.
In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that the Board of Estimate also violated the one-person, one-vote mandate. In response, the new Charter abolished the Board of Estimate and provided for the redrawing of the Council district lines to increase minority representation on the Council. It also increased the number of Council Members from 35 to 51. The Council was then granted full power over the municipal budget, as well as authority over zoning, land use and franchises.
In 1993 the New York City Council voted to rename the position of President of the City Council to the Public Advocate
New York Public Advocate
The office of Public Advocate for the City of New York is a citywide elected position in New York City, which is first in line to succeed the Mayor. The office serves as a direct link between the electorate and city government, effectively acting as an ombudsman, or "watchdog," for New Yorkers...
. The Public Advocate presides over all stated meetings of the New York City Council. As the presiding officer, the Public Advocate is an ex officio member of all committees in the Council, and in that capacity has the right to introduce and co-sponsor legislation.
A two-term limit
Term limits in the United States
Term limits in the United States apply to many offices at both the federal and state level, and date back to the American Revolution.-Pre-constitution:...
was imposed on City Council members and citywide elected officials after a 1993 referendum. The movement to introduce term limits was led by Ronald Lauder
Ronald Lauder
Ronald Steven Lauder is a Jewish-American businessman, civic leader, philanthropist, and art collector. Forbes lists Lauder among the richest people of the world with an estimated net worth of $3.0 billion in 2007.-Life and career:...
, a cosmetics heir. In 1996, voters turned down a Council proposal to extend term limits. Lauder spent $4 million on the two referendums.
In 2008, however, at the urging of Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
(who, like many Council members, would have exhausted his two terms in 2009), the Council voted 29-22 to extend this limit to three terms, after defeating (by a vote of 22-28 with one abstention) an amendment to submit the issue to public referendum. Legal challenges to the extension failed in Federal court, and a proposed law in the New York State Legislature to override the extension was not passed.
Presiding officers since 1898
Through several changes in title and duties, this person has been, together with the MayorMayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
and City Comptroller
New York City Comptroller
The Office of Comptroller of New York City is the chief fiscal officer and chief auditing officer of the city. The comptroller is elected, citywide, to a four-year term and can hold office for three consecutive terms. The current comptroller is Democrat John Liu, formerly a member of the New York...
, one of the three municipal officers directly elected by all of the City's voters, and also the person who — when the elected Mayor resigns, dies, or otherwise loses the ability to serve — becomes Acting Mayor until the next special or regular election.
Until 1989, these three officers, together with the five Borough President
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
s, constituted the New York City Board of Estimate.
Political campaigns have traditionally tried to balance their candidates for these three offices to appeal as wide a range as possible of the City's political, geographical, social, ethnic and religious constituencies (and, when possible, to both sexes).
Ardolph L. Kline, Joseph V. McKee
Joseph V. McKee
Joseph V. McKee, Sr. was originally a teacher at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York, but later became a politically active Democrat and briefly served as the Mayor of New York City.-Biography:...
, and Vincent R. Impellitteri
Vincent R. Impellitteri
Vincent Richard Impellitteri was an American politician, who served as the 101st Mayor of New York City.-Biography:He was born in Isnello, Sicily, and moved with his family to the United States as an infant in 1901...
Became Acting Mayor upon the death or resignation of the elected Mayor.
John Purroy Mitchel
John Purroy Mitchel
John Purroy Mitchel was the mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917. At age 34 he was the second-youngest ever; he is sometimes referred to as "The Boy Mayor of New York." Mayor Mitchel is remembered for his short career as leader of Reform politics in New York, as well as for his early death as an...
, Vincent R. Impellitteri, and Fiorello H. La Guardia Later won election as Mayor.
Fiorello H. La Guardia, Joseph V. McKee, Rudolph Halley
Rudolph Halley
Rudolph Halley was an attorney and politician from New York City.-Early life and career:Born and raised in Queens, Halley graduated from Townsend Harris High School at age 14, and was forced to wait until age 16 to enroll at Columbia University, from which he graduated with a Juris Doctor at age 20...
, Newbold Morris
Newbold Morris
Newbold Morris was an American politician, lawyer, president of the New York City Council, and two-time candidate for mayor of New York City....
, Carol Bellamy
Carol Bellamy
Carol Bellamy has been Director of the Peace Corps, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund , and President and CEO of World Learning. In April, 2009, Bellamy was appointed as Chair of the International Baccalaureate Board of Governors...
, and Mark J. Green
Mark J. Green
Mark J. Green is an author, public interest lawyer and a Democratic politician who lives in New York City. He worked with Ralph Nader from 1970-1980, eventually as director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch, and is also the former president of Air America Radio .He was New York City Consumer...
were Unsuccessful candidate for Mayor in a subsequent general election.
Alfred E. Smith (Al Smith) later ran five times (four of them successful) for Governor of the State of New York, and ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1928.
| Office | Start year | End year | Officer |
|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Board of Aldermen | 1898 | 1901 | Randolph Guggenheimer |
| 1902 | 1905 | Charles V. Fornes Charles V. Fornes Charles Vincent Fornes was a United States Representative from New York. Born on a farm near Williamsville, Erie County, he attended the public schools, and was graduated from Union Academy in 1864. He moved to Buffalo in 1866, taught school in a district school, and then served as principal of a... |
|
| 1906 | 1909 | Patrick McGowan | |
| 1910 | 1912 | John Purroy Mitchel John Purroy Mitchel John Purroy Mitchel was the mayor of New York from 1914 to 1917. At age 34 he was the second-youngest ever; he is sometimes referred to as "The Boy Mayor of New York." Mayor Mitchel is remembered for his short career as leader of Reform politics in New York, as well as for his early death as an... |
|
| 1912 | 1913 | Ardolph L. Kline | |
| 1914 | 1916 | George McAneny George McAneny George McAneny was Manhattan Borough President from 1910 to 1913.-Biography:He was born in 1869 in Greenville, New Jersey and attended Jersey City High School and worked as a journalist after graduation. He became executive secretary of the New York Civil Service Commission then secretary of the... |
|
| 1917 | Frank L. Dowling | ||
| 1918 | Alfred E. Smith | ||
| 1919 | Robert L. Moran Robert L. Moran (Politician) Robert Lawrence Moran , was a Bronx politician who served as President of the Board of Alderman of New York City from 1918 to 1920, filling a vacancy left by Alfred E. Smith after Smith’s election as governor of New York. Nominated by the Democratic Party to succeed himself as board president,... |
||
| 1920 | 1921 | Fiorello H. La Guardia | |
| 1922 | 1924 | Murray Hulbert | |
| 1925 | William T. Collins | ||
| 1926 | 1933 | Joseph V. McKee | |
| 1934 | 1936 | Bernard S. Deutsch | |
| 1937 | William F. Brunner William F. Brunner William Frank Brunner was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Woodhaven, Queens, he attended the public schools, Far Rockaway High School at Far Rockaway and Packard Commercial School at New York City... |
||
| President of the City Council | 1938 | 1945 | Newbold Morris |
| 1946 | 1949 | Vincent R. Impellitteri | |
| 1950 | Joseph T. Sharkey | ||
| 1951 | 1953 | Rudolph Halley | |
| 1954 | 1961 | Abe Stark Abe Stark Abe Stark was a Jewish-American businessman and politician. Born in New York City, he became a tailor and owned a clothing store at 1514 Pitkin Avenue in the East New York section of Brooklyn.... |
|
| 1962 | 1965 | Paul R. Screvane | |
| 1966 | 1968 | Frank D. O'Connor Frank D. O'Connor Frank D. O'Connor was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was District Attorney of Queens County, New York from 1956 to 1965.-Life:... |
|
| 1969 | Francis X. Smith | ||
| 1970 | 1973 | Sanford Garelik Sanford Garelik Sanford Daniel Garelik was an American politician from New York City. Garelik also served as the first Jewish chief inspector of the New York Police Department.... |
|
| 1974 | 1977 | Paul O'Dwyer Paul O'Dwyer Paul O'Dwyer was an American politician and lawyer, brother of Mayor William O'Dwyer and father to New York City lawyer Brian O'Dwyer .-Life:... |
|
| 1978 | 1985 | Carol Bellamy | |
| 1986 | 1993 | Andrew Stein Andrew Stein Andrew Stein was a Democratic politician who served on the New York City Council and was its last President, and as Manhattan Borough President. Stein's father is Jerry Finkelstein, the retired multi-millionaire publisher of the New York Law Journal, among other publications... |
|
| Public Advocate | 1994 | 2001 | Mark J. Green |
| 2002 | 2009 | Betsy Gotbaum Betsy Gotbaum Betsy Gotbaum was the New York City Public Advocate. She was elected as Public Advocate for New York City in 2001, and reelected in 2005. A longtime civic leader, she is the third woman elected to a citywide post in NYC history. Because she ran unopposed in the 2001 and 2005 elections, Betsy... |
|
| 2010 | 2013 | Bill de Blasio [first term] | |
Speaker of the City Council
This officer is elected by the members of the Council. It is not in the immediate line of succession to the mayoralty between elections.| Start year | End year | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 2001 | Peter Vallone, Sr. Peter Vallone, Sr. Peter F. Vallone, Sr. is an American politician.- Background :His father, Judge Charles J. Vallone of the Queens County Civil Court, encouraged young Peter to broaden his horizons beyond the limited social interactions with other ethnic and religious groups than were encouraged in the pre-Vatican... |
| 2002 | 2005 | Gifford Miller Gifford Miller A. Gifford Miller is the former Speaker of the New York City Council, where he represented Council District 5. Barred from seeking reelection due to term limits, the Democrat ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for the opportunity to run against incumbent Republican Mayor, Michael... |
| 2006 | Christine Quinn |
Salary
Council Members currently receive $112,500 a year in base salary, which the council increased from $90,000 in late 2006. Members can also receive tens of thousands of dollars in additional compensation “while serving as a committee chairperson or other officer…for the particular and additional services pertaining to the additional duties of such position.”Standing Committees
- Aging
- Civil Rights
- Civil Service & Labor
- Community Development (Select Committee)
- Consumer Affairs
- Contracts
- Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations
- Economic Development
- Education
- Environmental Protection
- Finance
- Fire & Criminal Justice Services
- General Welfare
- Governmental Operations
- Health
- Higher Education
- Housing & Buildings
- Immigration
- Juvenile Justice
- Land Use
- Lower Manhattan Redevelopment
- Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse & Disability Services
- Oversight and Investigations
- Parks & Recreation
- Public Safety
- Rules, Privileges & Elections
- Sanitation & Solid Waste Management
- Small Business
- Standards & Ethics
- State & Federal Legislation
- Technology in Government
- Transportation
- Veterans
- Waterfronts
- Women's Issues
- Youth Services
Subcommittees
- Drug Abuse
- Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses
- Libraries
- Planning, Dispositions and Concessions
- Public Housing
- Senior Centers
- Zoning and Franchises
Composition
| Affiliation | Members |
|---|---|
| Democratic | |
| Republican | |
| Total |
| Borough |
Population in 2000 |
Total |
D |
R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated... |
2,465,326 | 16 | 16 | |
| Queens Queens Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States.... |
2,229,379 | 14 | 11 | 3 |
| Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York... |
1,537,195 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1,332,650 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Staten Island Staten Island Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay... |
443,728 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 8,008,278 | 51 | 46 | 5 |
| Position | Name | Party | Borough | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker Speaker (politics) The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the... |
Christine Quinn | Democratic | Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York... |
|
| Majority Leader Majority leader In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the... |
Joel Rivera Joel Rivera Joel Rivera is the Majority Leader of the New York City Council. Elected in a special election in 2001 at 22 years of age, Rivera was the youngest person ever elected to the New York City Council in its history.-Early life and education:... |
Democratic | Bronx | |
| Minority Leader Minority leader In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position... |
James Oddo James Oddo James S. Oddo is a Republican politician from Staten Island, currently serving as Minority Leader in the New York City Council. He is one of five Republicans serving on the Council.-Early life and career:... |
Republican | Staten Island Staten Island Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay... |
See also
- Government of New York CityGovernment of New York CityThe government of New York City is organized under the City Charter and provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The government of New York is more centralized than that of most other U.S...
- History of New York CityHistory of New York CityThe history of New York, New York begins with the first European documentation of the area by Giovanni da Verrazzano, in command of the French ship, La Dauphine, when he visited the region in 1524. It is believed he sailed in Upper New York Bay where he encountered native Lenape, returned through...
- Mayor of New York CityMayor of New York CityThe Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
- New York City Civil CourtNew York City Civil CourtThe New York City Civil Court is a court hearing civil cases within New York City. By volume, it is the largest civil jurisdiction court in the United States, and handles about 25% of the total filings of the entire New York state court system.-Jurisdiction:...
- New York City Criminal CourtNew York City Criminal CourtThe New York City Criminal Court is the general term describing the entry-level court for criminal cases in the five boroughs of New York City....
- La Guardia and Wagner ArchivesLa Guardia and Wagner ArchivesThe La Guardia and Wagner Archives was established in 1982 at in Long Island City, Queens, New York, to collect, preserve, and make available primary materials documenting the social and political history of New York City, with an emphasis on the mayoralty and the borough of Queens...
External links
- New York City Council main page
- La Guardia and Wagner Archives/The Council of the City of New York Collection
- David W. Chen, Council Gets a Charge From Vote on Term Limits, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, New York edition, October 25, 2008, page A18, retrieved the same day. (Discusses changes in the Council's degree of independence and authority in relation to the Mayor's powers.) - NYS Go
- New York Forum
- Councilpedia, a Wiki about the City Council