Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Charter Revision Commission released its report on September 4, 2018 with three recommendations that will be on the ballot on November 6, 2018: downward adjustment of campaign contribution limits for City elected officials to reduce the influence of large contributors; a new commission to encourage greater civic engagement; and term limits and appointment procedures for community boards. All are worthy of concern, but none reach the level of major charter change.
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Charter Revision: Let’s Discuss Ending Term Limits For Council Members
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council, in creating competing charter revision commissions, avoided endorsing the central reason why the City could benefit from charter revision: ending term limits for council members. Term limits arguably may have had a healthy impact on the mayoralty, but not so with the council. Two four-year terms for council members resulted in instability of council membership and leadership and a lack of institutional discipline that has produced a … <Read More>
City Comptroller’s Response to Airbnb Guest Commentary
[The following guest commentary is a response to Airbnb’s commentary published here.]
New Yorkers are facing a growing affordability crisis, and over the years my office has examined many factors that have proven to contribute to the burden of rising prices – including, most recently, a report on the impact of Airbnb on New York City rental prices.
Guest Commentary: The Truth about Airbnb, Housing, and New York City
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer recently released a report on Airbnb in New York City that is wrong on the facts, wrong on the methodology and wrong in its conclusions.
Designation Should Not Mean Demolition
The Landmarks Preservation Commission has calendared the AT&T Building at 550 Madison Avenue for a public hearing. As well it should. Designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the skyscraper with a distinctive Chippendale top was the first post-modern addition to the skyline when completed in 1984. It is as emblematic of its time as the Woolworth Building (Cass Gilbert, 1913) and the Chrysler Building (William Van Allen, 1930).
New Special Permit for Self-Storage Facilities: An Imperfect Victory for Industrial Jobs Advocates
The final legislative session of 2017 saw an active NYC City Council scrambling to pass almost 40 bills before the term’s end. Among these legislative actions was the passage of a zoning text amendment for the creation of a special permit that will limit self-storage facilities in NYC’s Industrial Business Zones (IBZ’s). City Council’s vote in favor of the new special permit is a victory for the industrial and manufacturing sectors, albeit an imperfect victory … <Read More>