Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

CITY

City Council Names New Leadership, Committee Chairs and Members


Corey Johnson Speaker City Council chambers

City Council chambers (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)


New City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, a Manhattan Democrat, outlined his leadership team and Council committee chair and membership assignments on Thursday. Johnson named Brooklyn Council Member Laurie Cumbo, a close ally and friend, as Majority Leader. Majority Whip will be Council Member Fernando Cabrera of the Bronx; the Democratic Conference Chair, a new position, will be filled by Brooklyn Council Member Robert Cornegy, Jr.; Brooklyn Council Member Rafael Espinal, Jr. will fill another new role, that of Deputy leader for Digital Communication; and Brooklyn Council Member Brad Lander will keep his role as Deputy Leader for Policy.

There are another roughly dozen members of the leadership team as announced by Johnson. He also announced that Brooklyn Council Member Carlos Menchaca will lead the expansion of participatory budgeting across the Council, where members choose to implement the program.

Staten Island Council Member Steve Matteo was already voted Minority Leader in the three-member Republican conference, with Council Member Joe Borelli, also of Staten Island, as Minority Whip, both reprising roles from last session. Borelli was also named to chair the new Committee on Fire and Emergency Management, which is being broken away from what was the Committee on Criminal Justice and Fire.

Top committee chair posts are going to Johnson allies and members of the Bronx and Queens delegations after those two Democratic county party machines backed him for speaker, decisively helping him attain the position. Johnson had also secured support from nearly a dozen members from Manhattan, Staten Island, and Brooklyn, he has said, to help convince the Bronx and Queens party leaders -- Assemblymember Marcos Crespo and Congressional Rep. Joe Crowley, respectively -- to give him their support and the Council member votes that come with it.

The two most powerful and prestigious Council committees will be chaired by Bronx Council Member Rafael Salamanca, who will lead the Committee on Land Use, and Queens Council Member Danny Dromm, who will lead the Committee on Finance.

Brooklyn Council Member Robert Cornegy, Jr., who previously declared himself the runner-up in the speaker race, will chair the Committee on Housing and Buildings. Johnson named Bronx Council Member Ritchie Torres to lead the Committee on Oversight and Investigations, which Johnson has pledged to beef up in an effort to more acutely hold the mayoral administration accountable.

Other top committee posts include: Queens Council Member Donovan Richards as chair of the Committee on Public Safety; Brooklyn Council Member Mark Treyger as chair of the Committee on Education; Manhattan Council Member Keith Powers as chair of Criminal Justice; and Queens Council Member Rory Lancman as chair of the Committee on the Justice System. Manhattan Council Member Mark Levine, who was in the running for speaker, will chair the Health Committee, previously chaired by Johnson.

Several Council members are retaining committee chair positions, including Manhattan Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez as chair of the Committee on Transportation and Steven Levin as chair of the Committee on General Welfare.

As the crisis of the Council's gender imbalance continues to get more attention -- there are just 11 women in the Council's 51 seats -- Manhattan Council Member Helen Rosenthal will chair the Committee on Women's Issues.

Along with the new fire and emergency services committee, other new committees include a Committee on Hospitals, to be chaired by Manhattan Council Member Carlina Rivera; and the Committee on For-Hire Vehicles, to be chaired by Bronx Council Member Ruben Diaz, Sr.

Notably, Bronx Council Member Fernando Cabrera will chair the Committee on Governmental Operations, taking over from Manhattan Council Member Ben Kallos, who will remain on the committee. Kallos was roundly praised for his leadership of the committee over the prior session, both as a reformer and for holding accountable relevant agencies, like the Board of Elections.

A full list of committee chairs and members, which passed the rules committee and still need to be approved by the full Council:

Aging
Margaret Chin, Chair
Diana Ayala
Chaim Deutsch
Ruben Diaz, Sr.
Danny Dromm
Mathieu Eugene
Debi Rose
Mark Treyger
Paul Vallone

Civil and Human Rights
Matheiu Eugene, Chair
Danny Dromm
Ben Kallos
Brad Lander
Bill Perkins
Ydanis Rodriguez
Helen Rosenthal

Civil Service and Labor
I. Daneek Miller, Chair
Adrienne Adams
Danny Dromm
Andy King
Alan Maisel
Eric Ulrich
Jumaane Williams

Consumer Affairs
Rafael Espinal, Chair
Margaret Chin
Peter Koo
Karen Koslowitz
Brad Lander

Contracts
Justin Brannan, Chair
Inez Barron
Bill Perkins
Helen Rosenthal
Kalman Yeger

Criminal Justice Services
Keith Powers, Chair
Alicka Ampry-Samuel
Robert Holden
Rory Lancman
Carlina Rivera

Cultural Affairs
Jimmy Van Bramer, Chair
Joe Borelli
Laurie Cumbo
Karen Koslowitz
Francisco Moya

Economic Development
Paul Vallone, Chair
Adrienne Adams
Inez Barron
Robert Cornegy, Jr.
Peter Koo
Brad Lander
Mark Levine
Carlos Menchaca
Keith Powers
Donovan Richards
Carlina Rivera
Helen Rosenthal
Jumaane Williams

Education
Mark Treyger, Chair
Alicka Ampry-Samuel
Inez Barron
Joe Borelli
Justin Brannan
Andrew Cohen
Robert Cornegy, Jr.
Chaim Deutsch
Danny Dromm
Barry Grodenchik
Ben Kallos
Andy King
Brad Lander
Steven Levin
Mark Levine
Debi Rose
Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Eric Ulrich

Environmental Protection
Costa Constantinides, Chair
Rafael Espinal, Jr.
Steven Levin
Carlos Menchaca
Donovan Richards
Eric Ulrich
Kalman Yeger

Finance
Danny Dromm, Chair
Adrienne Adams
Andrew Cohen
Robert Cornegy, Jr.
Laurie Cumbo
Vanessa Gibson
Barry Grodenchik
Rory Lancman
Steven Matteo
Francisco Moya
Keith Powers
Helen Rosenthal
Jimmy Van Bramer

Fire and Emergency Management
Joe Borelli, Chair
Alicka Ampry-Samuel
Justin Brannan
Fernando Cabrera
Alan Maisel

For-Hire Vehicles
Ruben Diaz, Sr., Chair
Joe Borelli
Costa Constantinides
Francisco Moya
Debi Rose
Ydanis Rodriguez
Paul Vallone

General Welfare
Steven Levin, Chair
Adrienne Adams
Diana Ayala
Vanessa Gibson
Mark Gjonaj
Barry Grodenchik
Brad Lander
Antonion Reynoso
Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Ritchie Torres
Mark Treyger

Governmental Operations
Fernando Cabrera, Chair
Ben Kallos
Alan Maisel
Bill Perkins
Keith Powers
Ydanis Rodriguez
Kalman Yeger

Health
Mark Levine, Chair
Alicka Ampry-Samuel
Inez Barron
Mathieu Eugene
Keith Powers

Higher Education
Inez Barron, Chair
Laurie Cumbo
Robert Holden
Ben Kallos
Ydanis Rodriguez

Hospitals
Carlina Rivera, Chair
Diana Ayala
Mathieu Eugene
Mark Levine
Alan Maisel
Francisco Moya
Antonio Reynoso

Housing and Buildings
Robert Cornegy, Jr., Chair
Fernando Cabrera
Margaret Chin
Rafael Espinal, Jr.
Mark Gjonaj
Barry Grodenchik
Bill Perkins
Carlina Rivera
Helen Rosenthal
Ritchie Torres
Jumaane Williams

Immigration
Carlos Menchaca, Chair
Danny Dromm
Mathieu Eugene
Robert Holden
Mark Gjonaj
I. Daneek Miller
Kalman Yeger

Justice System
Rory Lancman, Chair
Andrew Cohen
Alan Maisel
Debi Rose
Eric Ulrich

Juvenile Justice
Andy King, Chair
Inez Barron
Mark Gjonaj
Robert Holden
Mark Levine
Bill Perkins
Jumaane Williams

Land Use
Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Chair
Adrienne Adams
Inez Barron
Costa Constantinides
Chaim Deutsch
Ruben Diaz, Sr.
Vanessa Gibson
Barry Grodenchik
Ben Kallos
Andy King
Peter Koo
Rory Lancman
Steven Levin
I. Daneek Miller
Francisco Moya
Antonio Reynoso
Donovan Richards
Carlina Rivera
Ritchie Torres
Mark Treyger

Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction
Diana Ayala, Chair
Alicka Ampry-Samuel
Fernando Cabrera
Robert Holden
Jimmy Van Bramer

Oversight and Investigations
Ritchie Torres, Chair
Ben Kallos
Rory Lancman
Keith Powers
Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Mark Treyger
Kalman Yeger

Parks and Recreation
Barry Grodenchik, Chair
Joe Borelli
Justin Brannan
Andrew Cohen
Costa Constantinides
Mark Gjonaj
Andy King
Peter Koo
Francisco Moya
Eric Ulrich
Jimmy Van Bramer

Public Housing
Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Chair
Diana Ayala
Laurie Cumbo
Ruben Diaz, Sr.
Mark Gjonaj
Carlos Menchaca
Donovan Richards
Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Ritchie Torres
Mark Treyger
Jimmy Van Bramer

Public Safety
Donovan Richards, Chair
Justin Brannan
Fernando Cabrera
Andrew Cohen
Chaim Deutsch
Vanessa Gibson
Rory Lancman
Carlos Menchaca
I. Daneek Miller
Keith Powers
Ydanis Rodriguez
Paul Vallone
Jumaane Williams

Rules, Priveleges and Elections
Karen Koslowitz, Chair
Adrienne Adams
Margaret Chin
Robert Cornegy, Jr.
Rafael Espinal, Jr.
Vanessa Gibson
Corey Johnson
Rory Lancman
Steven Matteo
Ritchie Torres
Mark Treyger

Sanitation and Solid Waste Management
Antonio Reynoso, Chair
Fernando Cabrera
Chaim Deutsch
Rafael Espinal, Jr.
Paul Vallone

Small Business
Mark Gjonaj, Chair
Diana Ayala
Steven Levin
Bill Perkins
Carlina Rivera

Standards and Ethics
Steven Matteo, Chair
Margaret Chin
Vanessa Gibson
Karen Koslowitz
Steven Levin

State and Federal Legislation
Andrew Cohen, Chair
Robet Cornegy, Jr.
Rafael Espinal, Jr.
Karen Koslowitz
Ydanis Rodriguez

Technology
Peter Koo, Chair
Robert Holden
Brad Lander
Eric Ulrich
Kalman Yeger

Transportation
Ydanis Rodriguez, Chair
Fernando Cabrera
Costa Constantinides
Chaim Deutsch
Ruben Diaz, Sr.
Rafael Espinal, Jr.
Peter Koo
Steven Levin
Mark Levine
Carlos Menchaca
I. Daneek Miller
Antonio Reynoso
Donovan Richards
Debi Rose
Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

Veterans
Chaim Deutsch, Chair
Justin Brannan
Mathieu Eugene
Alan Maisel
Paul Vallone

Women's Issues
Helen Rosenthal, Chair
Diana Ayala
Laurie Cumbo
Ben Kallos
Brad Lander

Youth Services
Debi Rose, Chair
Justin Brannan
Margaret Chin
Mathieu Eugene
Andy King

SUBCOMMITTEES

Capital Budget
Vanessa Gibson, Chair
Barry Grodenchik
Steven Matteo
Helen Rosenthal
Keith Powers

Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses
Adrienne Adams, Chair
Inez Barron
Peter Koo
I. Daneek Miller
Mark Treyger

Planning, Dispositions and Concessions
Ben Kallos, Chair
Chaim Deutsch
Ruben Diaz, Sr.
Andy King
Vanessa Gibson

Zoning and Franchises
Francisco Moya, Chair
Costa Constantinides
Barry Grodenchik
Rory Lancman
Steven Levin
Antonio Reynoso
Donovan Richards
Carlina Rivera
Ritchie Torres

***
by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
     

Read more by this writer.



Print Friendly and PDF

Editor's Choice


Gotham Gazette: New York Voters Approve $4.2 Billion Environmental Bond Act
New York Voters Approve $4.2 Billion Environmental Bond Act
Gotham Gazette: 
New York City Voters Approve Racial Justice Ballot Measures
New York City Voters Approve Racial Justice Ballot Measures
Gotham Gazette: 
Housing Development in New York City Slows to a Crawl as Officials Debate Tax Incentives
Housing Development in New York City Slows to a Crawl as Officials Debate Tax Incentives
Gotham Gazette: 
City Council Examines Low Voter Turnout, Moving Local Elections to Even Years City Council Examines Low Voter Turnout, Moving Local Elections to Even Years