Mayor Bill de Blasio on December 31, 2013, appointed Robert Linn as the Commissioner of the Office of Labor Relations. Linn, a former Director of the Office of Labor Relations under Mayor Edward I. Koch, will lead the City’s team in one of the most important municipal labor negotiations in a generation.
CityLaw
Three New Rules Ease New York City Contract Process
The procurement policy board, which makes the contracting rules for the City of New York, recently adopted rules that will make it easier for the City to manage how it purchases goods and services. The most important rule in terms of large purchases will allow the City to award competitively-bid contracts for goods and services based on price plus previously announced best value considerations. Before, contracts for goods and services had to be awarded … <Read More>
James S. Oddo: New Borough President Ready to Work Hard and Deliver Results
James S. Oddo, republican and former Council Member was sworn in as Staten Island’s new Borough President on January 1, 2014.
Borough President Oddo was born and raised in Dongan Hills, Staten Island, and bought his first house only a few blocks away from where he grew up. As the youngest of four boys, Oddo values the sacrifices his parents made. Oddo watched his father, a motorman, leave early and get home late to … <Read More>
Instant Run-off Voting: End High Cost, Low Turnout Run-Off Elections
A runoff election held weeks after a primary election always results in depressingly low voter turnout. Citizens Union supports instituting an instant runoff voting system where voters rank their preferred candidates on the day of the primary rather than needing to return to cast another ballot on a subsequent election day two to three weeks later. This would ensure that the winning candidate enjoys broad electoral support, as well as avoiding the logistical and financial … <Read More>
CityLaw Profile: Mark Davies, Executive Director of the Conflicts of Interest Board
After mayoral election, COIB Executive Director’s focus remains on prevention. Mark Davies is currently in his twentieth year as the Executive Director of the Conflicts of Interest Board. He is a native of Long Beach, California who moved to New York in 1968 to attend Columbia University, where he majored in German and English. Following his graduation in 1971, Davies studied Germanic Philology at Philipps-Universität in Marburg, Germany on a one year fellowship. Upon … <Read More>
Judge Judith S. Kaye: Juvenile Justice Reform: Now is Really the Moment
Judge Judith S. Kaye delivered these remarks at the CityLaw Breakfast on October 18, 2013.
A little more than three years ago—on August 27, 2010, to be precise—I had the privilege of standing before you as part of the CityLaw Breakfast Series. I began by complimenting all of you, as I do today, for arriving at the crack of dawn to chew on the subject of justice for breakfast.
On that beautiful summer day, I … <Read More>