There are 8.3 million people in New York City, and there are 8.3 million challenges to accomplishing big ideas that make the city work better. Having a mayor with the power to appoint a team to make his or her vision for the city a reality is not one of those challenges — but it may be soon.
As former city agency commissioners for different mayors, we have served on the frontlines of the most pressing issues facing New York City: rebounding from historical disinvestment, responding to a global pandemic, increasing safety and access to our streets and public spaces, growing our city’s economy, and more. Serving as commissioners allowed each of us to deliver on our mayors’ visions for New York City.
It’s critical for mayors to have the authority to appoint a team of leaders who reflect their vision — the same vision that led them to be democratically elected by New Yorkers at the ballot box.
The City Council has proposed to give themselves the power of “advice and consent” — to approve or reject the nominations of 21 mayoral appointees, including commissioners of the agencies that we once served. This proposal, however well-intentioned it may be, is a grave overstep that will politicize the process and damage the work that government does every day on behalf of New Yorkers.
The Council should, must and does play a foundational role as a check and balance in the city. The Council has the foundational charter power to legislate, to approve the city’s budget, and the authority to override a mayor’s veto. All of us as commissioners have personally engaged in healthy debates with the speaker and mayor, our fellow commissioners and with councilmembers. That’s the sign of a functioning democracy, and part of what makes our city great.
This proposal is a step in the wrong direction. New Yorkers elect a mayor every four years, and, with that vote, they endorse the candidate’s vision for the city. It should not be the role of the Council to second-guess that mayor’s personnel decisions, effectively overriding the will of New Yorkers.
Prior to 1884, the city tried a system where legislators confirmed mayoral appointments. And it failed, in part because the power to thwart mayoral appointments creates precisely the environment of politicization and patronage that this legislation claims to correct. That’s why, for the past 140 years, the mayor has had sole authority to appoint commissioners and agency heads.
In a strong executive system, the buck stops at the top. People know exactly who to blame if commissioners are not delivering — the mayor of New York City. And they can vote him or her out if they fail in their pledges.
Some have looked to the federal government as a model for how advice and consent can be implemented. We have seen how appointments in Washington are focused less on policymaking and more on politics. Washington’s inability to pass common sense policies is, if anything, a model for our city to avoid.
Mayors must appoint commissioners as quickly as possible during any administration’s transition, or to fill vacancies. Leadership keeps the basic functions of government moving: responding to Council requests, executing an agency’s strategy, creating agency culture and morale, and, of course, delivery of services that New Yorkers count on. It would be a loss to everyone if nominations are delayed.
Commissioners have immense responsibilities, maintaining and cleaning 6,300 miles of streets, overseeing our 1,800 schools and 11 public hospitals, maintaining 1,942 parks, supporting the city’s 220,000 businesses — 98% of which are small — and executing their sworn duty. Everyday New Yorkers simply cannot afford any delay of these vital services. To put it bluntly — that work stops until leadership is in place.
Again, we want to leave no room for misinterpretation: the Council has a fundamental role in holding every mayor’s office accountable. We are steadfast in supporting the Council’s right to hold hearings and to take commissioners to task when necessary, using the media to highlight inaction and missteps — and committee chairs who wield their power to ensure that a mayoral administration delivers on its promises.
This proposed legislation will not be helpful, but instead a hindrance to city government executing its basic roles and responsibilities. This is not about any mayor or speaker, but instead about protecting the spirit of good government, so that New Yorkers get the services they deserve.
We urge the Council to listen to us, former commissioners who proudly served the city as mayoral appointees, to vote no against advice and consent.
Bishop was small business services commissioner under Bill de Blasio. Sadik-Khan was transportation commissioner under Mike Bloomberg (and is now a principal at Bloomberg Associates). Schwartz was transportation (then known as traffic) commissioner under Ed Koch. Silver was parks commissioner under de Blasio.