Monday, June 22, 2026, 10 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 2
Committee: Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation
0:16 Thank you good morning ladies
0:16 and gentlemen welcome to the
0:19 New York City Council hearing
0:22 for the committee on
0:23 governmental operations state
0:24 and federal legislation at
0:26 this time I'd like to remind
0:27 everyone to please silence all
0:29 devices and at no point during
0:31 the hearing I approach if you
0:33 if you wish to testify at
0:35 today's hearing please see a
0:36 sergeant at the back of the
0:36 room to fill out a testimony
0:38 slip even if you have already
0:41 registered previously online
0:42 chair we are ready to begin.
0:43 Thank you very.
0:44 Much I am gail Brewer I am
0:47 the chair of the governmental
0:50 operations state and federal
0:52 legislation I want to thank
0:54 everyone who's here I know
0:55 that there are those who are
0:56 going to be speaking from
0:58 campaign finance both
0:59 president's office civic
1:01 engagement commission conflict
1:02 of interest sport as well as
1:04 members of the public who are
1:06 . Very interested in community
1:07 boards and other topics we're
1:09 going to be talking about
1:10 community boards I think you
1:11 know they're the most local
1:13 form of government I certainly
1:14 know that they are
1:15 intentionally designed to give
1:17 people who live or work and
1:19 the neighborhood a voice in
1:20 governing they provide
1:22 valuable feedback to agencies
1:23 and other government bodies on
1:24 how services are being
1:26 delivered they also provide
1:27 local policymakers with
1:29 information on how their
1:30 decisions could affect a local
1:32 community district I think I
1:34 know I think I've been to more
1:35 community board members than
1:36 any other human being I know
1:39 borough presidents and I was
1:40 one of them appoint all
1:42 community board members half
1:43 of the members must come from
1:45 nominations made by the local
1:46 Council Member or members
1:48 . East borough president has
1:49 her own method for selecting
1:52 members but generally
1:54 applicants must fill out an
1:56 online application
1:56 . And appear for an interview
1:58 by a representative from the
2:00 borough president's office a
2:03 20 18 ballot proposal imposed
2:06 a requirement the borough
2:06 president seek out community
2:08 board applications from
2:10 diverse backgrounds council
2:11 members do not directly
2:12 appoint members which I think
2:13 is a good thing they can only
2:16 nominate members who then or
2:19 not be appointed by the
2:21 borough president actually I
2:21 think that's how it should
2:23 stay
2:23 . Community board members are
2:25 all volunteers they are unpaid d
2:29 monthly board meetings I used
2:29 to take people off who did not
2:32 do that
2:33 . In addition to serving at
2:33 least one committee most of
2:35 them meet monthly
2:37 . Board members served two
2:38 year terms the 20 18 ballot
2:41 proposal also imposed term
2:42 limits on board members I
2:44 thought that was a terrible
2:46 idea
2:46 . No members serve more than
2:49 four consecutive terms the
2:51 first members subject to these
2:52 New terms will be need to be
2:55 replaced by 20 20 17 which is
2:56 a brain drain while this will
2:59 create room for newer members
3:01 it will also mean the loss of
3:04 longtime members with
3:06 significant knowledge about
3:08 complex issues particularly
3:10 land use
3:11 . We want to make sure that
3:13 the community boards
3:14 themselves along with borough
3:15 presidents and the civic
3:18 engagement commission uh
3:19 benjamin knows how I feel
3:20 about that.
3:21 Are all prepared for this
3:24 unprecedented turnover I did
3:25 vote against that in the
3:26 charter to just so district
3:29 managers who are full time
3:31 paid employees are responsible
3:32 for the day to day operations
3:33 of the community boards there
3:35 duties include processing
3:38 complaints presiding over the
3:40 district service cabinet and
3:41 other duties assigned by the
3:42 board.
3:43 District managers are
3:44 responsible for organizing
3:45 both committee and full board
3:47 meetings
3:48 . The civic engagement
3:49 commission created by the 2
3:51 018 charter revision commission
3:55 was formed to provide provide
3:56 assistance to community boards
3:57 that assistance seemed to come
3:59 primarily in the form of zoom
4:02 trainings.
4:03 Designed for community board
4:04 members with some additional
4:06 trainings it appeared to be
4:07 designed for the boards
4:09 executive leadership.
4:10 There are past trainings
4:11 that are available on the
4:13 website site have included
4:15 parliamentary proceedings the
4:16 budget land use and equity
4:19 planning
4:19 . As the bald president know I
4:21 did all that just so you know.
4:22 In addition to doing
4:25 oversight we will also be
4:26 hearing five pieces of
4:27 legislation will be hearing
4:29 proposed intro number 12 a
4:32 sponsored by the speaker which
4:33 would require the disclosure
4:35 of digitally altered content
4:37 in local elections also intro
4:41 three to o sponsored by
4:43 Council Member murano which
4:44 would codify the official flag
4:46 of staten island I think
4:46 that's a good idea.
4:49 Introduction hundred 2
4:51 2sponsored by Council Member
4:52 murano which would give
4:52 council members the power to
4:53 make appointments at community
4:54 boards you know how I feel
4:56 about that into 5 501 a
4:59 sponsored by Council Member
5:00 Williams which would alter the
5:02 terms of employment for
5:03 district managers I don't like
5:04 that one
5:04 . At intro 9 5 5 1 by by
5:08 council Thomas Council Member
5:09 Thomas Henry which would
5:11 prevent policymakers and their
5:12 relatives from trading on
5:14 prediction markets using
5:15 insider information thank you
5:17 . I'd like to thank the
5:18 following staff from the
5:20 government operations
5:21 committee djuhari fraser erika
5:24 cohen and seymour hamid and
5:26 everything working in the
5:29 background I would like t
5:30 ofirst call on Frank Morano who
5:32 is also the chair of the
5:35 veterans committee and he
5:36 needs to go so he should start
5:38 first in terms of his comment
5:40 . Thank you very much chair
5:43 for the opportunity to speak
5:45 and as much as I would love to
5:47 stay and devour every minute
5:50 of today's testimony I am
5:53 chairing a meeting that began
5:55 10 minutes ago so I'm going to
5:56 run next door and then
5:57 hopefully come back if this
5:59 meeting goes on a bit I
6:01 appreciate the chair's
6:02 generous introduction and I
6:03 also appreciate the open
6:06 mindedness with which you're
6:06 approaching all the pieces of
6:09 legislation today and I
6:11 certainly concur that there is
6:12 not a human being alive that
6:14 has attended more community
6:15 board meetings than gail
6:17 Brewer I do want to say a bit
6:20 about intro 320 which is my
6:23 bill which is sponsored by the
6:25 entirety of the City Council
6:28 delegation from staten island
6:29 and a good portion of the
6:31 chunk of the City Council as a
6:33 whole which would give staten
6:35 island an official flag
6:38 currently while every borough
6:39 has at least an unofficial
6:41 flag there are only two
6:44 boroughs that have official
6:46 flags codified in the law
6:47 those are brooklyn and the
6:50 bronx the staten island flag
6:51 which has been our unofficial
6:53 flag since 20 19 and we're
6:55 really honored to have the
6:57 director of visual design from
7:00 staten island borough
7:02 presidents office m o micah
7:04 here and to speak about how
7:05 this flag was created some of
7:06 the incredible imagery some of
7:08 the symbolism some of the
7:09 this bill for over a year the
7:17 resounding complaint against
7:18 and really the only one
7:20 against it is don't you have
7:21 anything else better to do and a
7:25 complaint from everybody about
7:27 everything anything but the
7:29 answer really is no and I'll
7:31 tell you why this bill is so
7:34 meaningful to staten island
7:36 and to me in one swoop namely
7:39 adopting and giving us a flag
7:40 this City Council has the
7:42 ability to do two things one
7:47 celebrate recognize borough
7:47 identity and to make staten
7:49 island feel like we're
7:50 actually a part of this City
7:52 and I can tell you both of
7:53 those things from time to time
7:56 are in short supply and we'll
7:58 get into why and I'll I'm
8:01 eager to hear um oh micah
8:02 staten island betsy ross in
8:04 his testimony a bit later
8:06 . Then intro 300 to to my bill
8:09 on the community board
8:11 appointment process this is
8:13 basically just codifying what
8:14 I believe was always intended
8:17 to be the law where instead of
8:20 council members recommending
8:21 half of the community board
8:24 members council members would
8:25 get to pick and nominate and
8:29 binding binding manner half of
8:30 the board members
8:31 . Why is this important well I
8:34 think it's important for a few
8:35 reasons one on a practical
8:37 level we've seen borough
8:38 presidents in multiple
8:39 boroughs not just mine simply
8:41 refused to act on community
8:43 board nominees from council
8:45 members the people in many
8:47 cases dedicated community
8:48 activists that are nominated
8:50 by the council members are
8:51 never told that their accepted t
8:54 they're rejected they just
8:55 stay in this perpetual limbo
9:00 additionally by ignoring
9:01 . Nominations from local
9:02 council members these are
9:04 often the people that know the
9:07 individual neighborhoods best
9:08 and adding people from these
9:10 neighborhoods that understand
9:11 the unique concerns that they
9:12 have rather than simply allow
9:15 the only binding appointment
9:17 to be a borough wide voice
9:19 . It adds to a diversity not
9:22 just when it comes to gender
9:23 race age or anything like that f
9:27 experience a diversity of
9:29 worldview which is sorely
9:31 lacking now and the best thing
9:33 about this bill if the council
9:34 adopts it is all it does is
9:37 give the voters the right to
9:40 choose for themselves whether
9:41 council members should have
9:42 this appoint mint process and
9:44 to me that's the best
9:45 situation.
9:46 Put it on the ballot let
9:47 those of us that think council
9:48 members should have binding
9:51 appointment our argument let
9:52 those that think that the
9:53 borough president should get
9:54 to appoint everybody make
9:56 their argument and let the
9:58 voters decide so I'm very
10:00 excited about both bills being
10:02 heard today I'm grateful that
10:04 dozens of my colleagues in the
10:06 council in both parties and
10:07 all five boroughs have
10:09 sponsored both bills and I'm
10:10 eager to see them voted on by
10:12 this body and by the council
10:13 as a whole thank you chairman
10:14 . Thank you very much I just
10:16 want to talk about your secon
10:17 dbill to point out that the
10:19 borough president if there
10:20 good and they're not all have
10:21 a process that says this
10:24 person is qualified this
10:26 person isn't I worry that I
10:27 Gale Brewer.
10:28 If given the opportunity
10:30 would not have the ability t
10:32 oput that person through a
10:32 process because I don't have
10:33 the staff to do it.
10:35 That's what my concern is so
10:36 that there not vetted so
10:38 that's why I have a concern
10:39 now the borough person has no
10:41 process that's a different
10:42 story maybe there should be
10:43 mandated to have one so I am
10:46 concerned about people who are
10:47 not vetted and who are
10:49 politically interesting to the
10:51 Council Member that could
10:51 happen to me and I want that
10:53 not to happen to anybody
10:54 . So that's where my concern
10:55 is about I have great respect
10:56 for you sir I will tell you
10:58 . Council Member Thomas Henry
11:00 to give a statement on your
11:01 bill until 951
11:03 . Good morning and thank you
11:05 chair Brewer thank you for
11:07 holding today's hearing we
11:09 often think of insider
11:10 information in the context of
11:12 stock market of the stock
11:14 market but as technology
11:16 evolves so do the ways that
11:18 privileged information can be
11:19 used for personal gain.
11:20 Prediction markets and event
11:22 pit based trading platforms
11:25 have created a New frontier
11:26 where individuals can place
11:28 financial wagers on the
11:30 outcome of elections policy
11:33 decisions regulatory actions
11:34 and other events that be
11:36 influenced by government
11:37 activity the question before
11:39 us today is straightforward
11:41 should public officials or
11:43 policymakers be allowed t
11:44 oprofit from information that
11:45 the public does not have
11:47 access to I believe the answer
11:48 is no public service is built
11:51 on trust New yorkers expect
11:53 that decisions made by elected
11:56 officials and government
11:57 policymakers are guided by the
11:58 public interests not by
12:00 personal financial
12:01 opportunities tied t
12:03 ononpublic information that's
12:05 why we're here today until 951 r
12:10 ethics laws keep pace with the
12:12 times this bill would prohibit
12:15 elected officials policymakers
12:16 and their their immediate
12:17 family members from using
12:20 nonpublic government
12:21 information to profit through
12:23 prediction markets and event
12:24 based trading
12:25 . Because public service
12:26 should never come with a
12:28 private advantage New York
12:29 er's trust us with information
12:31 responsibilities and decisions
12:32 that impact their lives every
12:34 day they deserve to know that
12:36 people serving them are not
12:38 also looking for opportunities
12:40 to personally profit from
12:41 information that the public
12:42 does not have and while
12:44 prediction markets be New the
12:46 principal behind this
12:48 legislation is not we already
12:50 understand that insider
12:52 trading undermines trust we
12:53 already understand that public
12:55 service carries a
12:56 responsibility to avoid even
12:57 the appearance of self dealing
13:00 this bill applies those same
13:01 basic values to a rapidly
13:04 emerging emerging marketplace
13:05 . At a time when trust in
13:07 government is fragile we
13:08 should be doing everything we
13:10 can to strengthen it that
13:13 means being proactive it means
13:15 anticipating challenges before
13:16 they become problems and it
13:17 means ensuring that our laws
13:19 reflect not just what is legal t
13:22 from those who serve them this
13:24 legislation is about fairness
13:27 it's about transparency and
13:28 it's about protecting the
13:29 integrity of public service I
13:31 want to thank chad Brewer and
13:32 the members of the committee
13:34 on governmental operations for
13:35 hearing this issue today and I