Municipal official
The office of
New York City Public Advocate
(President of the City Council) is a citywide elected position in
New York City
, which is first in line to succeed the
mayor
. The office serves as a direct link between the
electorate
and city government, effectively acting as an
ombudsman
, or
watchdog
, for New Yorkers.
History
[
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]
The office was created in 1993, when the
New York City Council
voted to rename the position of President of the City Council. Following the City Charter revision of 1989 which eliminated the powerful
New York City Board of Estimate
on which the president held a seat, the post was seen as largely ceremonial; its only notable responsibility was to cast the deciding vote in the City Council in the unlikely event of a tie, a power that was eliminated in 2001.
[3]
At the time, it was thought likely that the post would be abolished altogether.
[4]
The position survived, and has been held by
Democrats
throughout its history.
Mark Green
was the first public advocate and served through his unsuccessful run for Mayor in
2001
.
Also in 2001, the City Council amended the city charter to transfer the public advocate's functions as presiding officer of the City Council to a Speaker elected from among the council members. Green's successor,
Betsy Gotbaum
, thus had her role limited to being the city's de facto ombudsman. The
2009 election
to succeed Gotbaum was highly competitive and was won by
Bill de Blasio
, who later became the first public advocate to win the Mayor's office.
The current public advocate is
Jumaane Williams
, following a special election on February 26, 2019.
Duties
[
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]
The public advocate is a non-voting member of the
New York City Council
with the right to introduce and co-sponsor legislation. Prior to a 2002 charter revision, the Public Advocate was also the presiding officer of the council.
[5]
The public advocate also serves as an ombudsman for city government, providing oversight for city agencies, investigating citizens' complaints about city services and making proposals to address perceived shortcomings or failures of those services. These duties, worded somewhat ambiguously, are laid out in Section 24 of the City Charter. The public advocate serves on the committee which selects the director of the
New York City Independent Budget Office
and appoints members to several boards and commissions, including one member of the
New York City Planning Commission
. The public advocate also serves as chairman of the Commission of Public Information and Communication established by Section 1061 of the
New York City Charter
.
Along with the
mayor
and the
comptroller
, the public advocate is one of three municipal offices elected by all the city's voters. In the event of a vacancy or incapacity of the mayor, the public advocate is first in line to become mayor.
[6]
List of New York City public advocates
[
edit
]
No.
|
Image
|
Name
|
Term of office
|
Party affiliation
|
Notes
|
1
|
|
Mark Green
|
January 1, 1994 ? December 31, 2001
|
Democratic
|
|
2
|
|
Betsy Gotbaum
|
January 1, 2002 ? December 31, 2009
|
Democratic
|
- elected to two four-year terms
[10]
- did not run for re-election
[11]
|
3
|
|
Bill de Blasio
|
January 1, 2010 ? December 31, 2013
|
Democratic
|
|
4
|
|
Letitia James
|
January 1, 2014 ? December 31, 2018
|
Democratic
|
|
?
|
|
Corey Johnson
(acting)
|
January 1, 2019 ? March 19, 2019
|
Democratic
|
- became the acting public advocate upon James being sworn in as Attorney General of New York State
[17]
|
5
|
|
Jumaane Williams
|
March 19, 2019 ? present
|
Democratic
|
|
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
www
.pubadvocate
.nyc
.gov
/about
#deputy-public-advocates
/
- ^
govsalaries
.com
/salaries
/NY
/public-advocate
- ^
Ross, Scott (October 12, 2009).
"Bloomberg Wants to Axe Public Advocate"
. NBC New York
. Retrieved
June 26,
2020
.
- ^
Raab, Selwyn (January 30, 1993).
"
'President' Is Confusing; Council May Alter Title"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
December 3,
2010
.
- ^
Cardwell, Diane (December 2, 2002).
"Betsy Gotbaum, the Advocate, Struggles to Reach Her Public"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
January 14,
2013
.
- ^
"The Mayor".
What makes New York City run? : a citizen's guide to how city government works
(trade)
(Third ed.). New York, N.Y.: League of Women Voters of the City of New York Education Fund. 2001. pp. 30?31.
ISBN
0-916130-02-9
.
- ^
Hicks, Jonathan P. (November 3, 1993).
"Green Breezes in Rematch From Primary"
.
New York Times
. p. B5
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Nagourney, Adam (November 5, 1997).
"Giuliani Sweeps to Second Term As Mayor; Whitman Holds on By a Razor-Thin Margin - Firm Grip on City ? Mayor Wins 4 Boroughs ? Messinger Makes Her Concession"
.
New York Times
. p. A1
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Nagourney, Adam (November 7, 2001).
"The 2001 Elections: Bloomberg Edges Green in Race for Mayor; McGreevey is an Easy Winner in New Jersey"
.
New York Times
. p. A1
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
"The Races in New York City"
.
New York Times
. November 10, 2005. p. B6
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Santos, Fernanda (October 27, 2008).
"Betsy Gotbaum Says She Will Not Seek Re-election as the City's Public Advocate"
.
New York Times
. p. A28
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Chen, David W.; Barbaro, Michael (November 3, 2019).
"Bloomberg Wins 3rd Term as Mayor in Unexpectedly Close Race"
.
New York Times
. p. A1
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Barbaro, Michael; Chen, David W. (November 6, 2013).
"De Blasio Is Elected New York City Mayor in Landslide; Christie Coasts To 2nd Term as Governor"
.
New York Times
. p. A1
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Powell, Michael (November 7, 2013).
"In New York City's Sharp Left Turn, Questions of Just How Far"
.
New York Times
. p. A29
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Neuman, William; Goodman, J. David (November 8, 2017).
"De Blasio Coasts to Re-election, as Second-Term Challenges Await"
.
New York Times
. p. A1
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Mays, Jeffrey C. (November 7, 2018).
"Breaking Barriers, Letitia James Is Elected New York Attorney General"
.
New York Times
. p. A28
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Goodman, J. David (December 31, 2018).
"2 of New York's Most Influential Offices Are About to Be Held by One Person"
.
New York Times
. p. A17
. Retrieved
January 2,
2019
.
- ^
Mays, Jeffery C. (February 26, 2019).
"Jumaane Williams Wins Public Advocate Race in New York City"
.
New York Times
. p. A1
. Retrieved
February 26,
2019
.
External links
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]