The City Council passed a good bill barring for two years lobbying of municipal offices by former top city employees. The problem is that the bill should have happened years ago and it should have included Council members and other elected officials.
In other words, we’ll take it, but it still needs to go further.
Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler had a sound idea when he filed two bills on the same day, Jan. 19, 2023. The measures were given consecutive numbers, Intro 889 and Intro 890. Intro 889, entitled post-employment activities of certain former public servants, had 21 sponsors while Intro 890, called post-employment activities of former elected officials, was sponsored by 19 members. They were both referred to the Governmental Operations Committee that day.
Restler mentioned two men he had in mind who had left City Hall and became high-paid consultants, cashing in on their connections: Frank Carone, who served as chief of staff to Mayor Adams during 2022, and Corey Johnson, who was Council speaker for four years ending in 2021.
This Editorial Board strongly endorsed the proposed reform, but the Council had zero interest. There was no action on either measure. Both bills expired when the Council’s session ended on Dec. 31 of that year.
Last year, Restler tried again, on Feb. 8 with new consecutive numbers, Intro 76 and Intro 77. Intro 76 dealt with former elected officials and had 14 sponsors and Intro 77, covering certain former public servants, had 18 sponsors.
But this time there was some movement. There was a Governmental Operations hearing on the bills on April 19. And then months of nothing, until last week when the committee passed Intro 77 and the full Council followed with an overwhelming vote. It will become law 30 days after passage, with or without the mayor’s signature, and takes effect at that time.
Oddly though, Intro 76, which imposes on ex-Council members the same two-year prohibitions being imposed on the mayor’s top aides, didn’t have a committee vote.
So the Frank Carron situation has been addressed, but the Corey Johnson situation was left alone. That worked out conveniently for the Council, didn’t it?
With no change in the City Charter (which also would have required a vote of the public) Council members can depart their public offices to become lobbyists immediately, as Staten Island’s Joe Borelli is about to do. At least Borelli wasn’t a hypocrite and he voted against the bill which applies to mayoral appointees.
We should note that the bill that was approved was narrowed in committee to pertain to fewer of the mayor’s aides, but in doing so also exempted all staff of the Council. So while top aides to the speaker would have been subject to the 24-month lobbying bar in Restler’s original bill, now that’s not happening.
So the only people covered will be top aides to the mayor. As we said, that should be the case, as it is in Albany for high-ranking gubernatorial appointees, but it shouldn’t have ended there.
Restler should not give up, it’s taken two years to get this far. Speaker Adrienne Adams and other senior members are leaving at year’s end due to term limits, so there’s always next year to continue the reform push.
