New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams introduced a bill on May 23 that significantly expands the council’s authority to approve the mayor’s appointments of high-ranking officials, requiring council approval for the appointment of 21 director-level positions.
The proposal, known as Bill 908, suggests amending the New York City Charter to require confirmation by the council for the appointment of 21 director-level positions in city government, including heads of agencies such as the Department of Transportation, Department of Health, Parks Department, Department of Social Services, Department of Buildings, Department of Children, Administration for Children’s Services, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Office of Emergency Management, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Finance, Department of Homeless Services, Department of Veterans’ Services, Department of Youth and Community Development, and others. However, the appointment of the police commissioner, fire commissioner, and correction commissioner is not included in this bill, although Adams did not rule out their inclusion later.
As this involves amending the New York City Charter, even if the bill passes the council, it would still need to be subjected to a public referendum and gain majority voter approval to be enacted.
Currently, the council only has approval authority over a few of the over 80 director-level positions in city government, such as the Commissioner of Investigation and the Corporation Counsel who heads the Law Department. Adams stated in a press conference that this proposal aims to strengthen the council’s oversight of the administration, preventing politically motivated appointments. Adams revealed at a closed-door meeting with the New York City Democratic Party last week that she would introduce this bill. Mayor Adams, when asked about the proposal on May 21, stated his opposition to it but expressed willingness to discuss it further with the council.
This proposal marks another round of political maneuvering between Adams and Mayor Adams. Previously, Adams-led council has overturned Mayor Adams’ veto twice. Mayor Adams is considering appointing lawyer Randy Mastro as Corporation Counsel, one of the few positions in the city government that requires council approval for appointment. Mastro, a conservative who previously served as Deputy Mayor under former Mayor Giuliani, faces challenges in gaining approval from the council, prompting Mayor Adams to seek private persuasion to change council members’ opinions. Mayor Adams also established a Charter Revision Commission on May 21 to counter Adams’ proposal to amend the charter through referendum.