NEW YORK—The City Council recently approved a 39-percent budget cut to the office of the public advocate—the office that fields New Yorkers’ government complaints. Along with the obvious irony that government has the power to weaken such an agency comes a conspiracy theory.
The Public Advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, says that she’s under fire due to her opposition to legislation that allowed city officials to seek a third term. The third term legislation was backed by City Council speaker Christine Quinn and championed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Being public advocate means that Gotbaum is next in line to succeed the mayor, according to the city charter.
Gotbaum was elected to the office in 2001 and reelected in 2005. Gotbaum has said that she is not seeking a third term though she can under the third term allowance.
jump from A1 jump word is Public Advocate
“This office is the watchdog over city government. And when the mayor and speaker impose damaging, crippling cuts to the agency that is meant to watch over them, it is time to speak out and call it like it is: this is an anti-democratic power play, and it’s bad government,” Gotbaum said.
Compared with budget cuts in other government agencies, the percentage cut to the public advocate’s office is staggering. Borough presidents’ were each slashed 1 to 4 percent, the comptroller’s office five percent, and the mayor’s office six percent. The 39 percent budget cut to the public advocate means a reduction from $2.9 million to $1.8 million.
Gotbaum’s fury is shared by her five possible successors, who may have to inherit a diminished office. Candidates include Council Member Eric Gioia of Queens, civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel, Council Member Bill de Blasio, former Public Advocate Mark J. Green, and Republican Alex Zablocki, an aide to State Senator Andrew Lanza of Staten Island. The election will be held this fall.
“The city’s watchdog needs to have an independent budget,” said Gioia. “The public advocates budget should not be subject to the whims of the people the office is supposed to be watching.”
“While cutting the public advocate’s budget by nearly 40 percent, Speaker Quinn has continued to dole out member item money to 51 members. Her actions completely ignore her responsibility to people before politics,” said Zablocki.
To prevent what he considers further erosion of the watchdog role, candidate de Blasio is drafting legislation to create independent budgeting for the public advocate, comptroller, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and the Conflict of Interest Board.
The Public Advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, says that she’s under fire due to her opposition to legislation that allowed city officials to seek a third term. The third term legislation was backed by City Council speaker Christine Quinn and championed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Being public advocate means that Gotbaum is next in line to succeed the mayor, according to the city charter.
Gotbaum was elected to the office in 2001 and reelected in 2005. Gotbaum has said that she is not seeking a third term though she can under the third term allowance.
jump from A1 jump word is Public Advocate
“This office is the watchdog over city government. And when the mayor and speaker impose damaging, crippling cuts to the agency that is meant to watch over them, it is time to speak out and call it like it is: this is an anti-democratic power play, and it’s bad government,” Gotbaum said.
Compared with budget cuts in other government agencies, the percentage cut to the public advocate’s office is staggering. Borough presidents’ were each slashed 1 to 4 percent, the comptroller’s office five percent, and the mayor’s office six percent. The 39 percent budget cut to the public advocate means a reduction from $2.9 million to $1.8 million.
Gotbaum’s fury is shared by her five possible successors, who may have to inherit a diminished office. Candidates include Council Member Eric Gioia of Queens, civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel, Council Member Bill de Blasio, former Public Advocate Mark J. Green, and Republican Alex Zablocki, an aide to State Senator Andrew Lanza of Staten Island. The election will be held this fall.
“The city’s watchdog needs to have an independent budget,” said Gioia. “The public advocates budget should not be subject to the whims of the people the office is supposed to be watching.”
“While cutting the public advocate’s budget by nearly 40 percent, Speaker Quinn has continued to dole out member item money to 51 members. Her actions completely ignore her responsibility to people before politics,” said Zablocki.
To prevent what he considers further erosion of the watchdog role, candidate de Blasio is drafting legislation to create independent budgeting for the public advocate, comptroller, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and the Conflict of Interest Board.
