Allow Young People to Serve on Community Boards

Last week, the City Council passed a resolution in support of allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to serve on their local community boards. The resolution throws City support behind Albany legislation that would amend the City Charter and Public Officers Law to let the teens become full voting members of their boards.



The Dinkins’ Autobiography: Filling in a Missing Chapter

 

Join us at the September 27th CityLaw Breakfast, featuring the Hon. David N. Dinkins, former New York City Mayor. This event is sponsored by the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School.  Click here to RSVP.

David N. Dinkins, New York City’s 106th mayor, now 86 years old, tells his story in his newly published autobiography, A Mayor’s Life: Governing New York’s Gorgeous Mosaic (Public Affairs 2013).

Dinkins … <Read More>


The Aftermath of Shelby County v. Holder: Will Voting Rights Be Diminished?

The United States Supreme Court’s June 25, 2013 decision, Shelby County v. Holder, struck down Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, eliminating a “preclearance” coverage formula that had subjected numerous jurisdictions with checkered voting rights histories to the U.S. Department of Justice’s oversight.  Although the decision allows Congress to create a new coverage formula, in today’s political climate that appears unlikely.   While the preclearance system was often associated with deep Southern states … <Read More>


Past LPC Chairs Gathered to Share Reflections, Advice for Future

Four past Landmarks chairs gathered to discuss what makes a chair effective, how to make the landmarking process more efficient, and challenges facing the Commission. On April 25th, 2013, at the General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen, four past chairs of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission participated in a panel discussion titled “Past Leaders Look to The Future.” The event was co-sponsored by the Society and a number of preservationist organizations, including the New <Read More>


City Council Rejects Sale of City Property in Hopes for an African Burial Ground Museum [Update: Council Overrides Mayor’s Disapproval of Rejection of Sale]

Council Member Charles Barron lead the City Council’s rejection of 22 Reade Street sale in support of the site being used for a pending federally-funded African Burial Ground Museum. On November 13, 2012, the City Council unanimously rejected the disposition of city-owned property at 22 Reade Street and approved of the disposition of City-owned property at 49-51 Chambers Street. The City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) proposed the sale of the properties in … <Read More>