NYC Council rolls out bill to repeal Mayor Adams policy forcing them to fill out form to meet with admin heads

The City Council is trying to pass a law that would repeal a policy from Mayor Eric Adams requiring them to fill out a form in order to meet with department heads in his administration.The bill, introduced Thursday, marks the latest round in the two branches’ ongoing power struggle.Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn), who is sponsoring the legislation to repeal Adams’ policy, argued it only serves to politicize government operations.

“In order for elected officials to work with city agencies to solve neighborhood problems and address critical and emergent health and safety concerns, we must fill out forms so that the mayor’s political operation can decide who they want to assist and why,” Restler railed in a council hearing Thursday.The bill would also clarify that the city charter “fully empowers agencies to advise and assist elected officials without any prior approvals,” Restler said.He added that 37 councilmembers have signed on to co-sponsor his bill, giving it a “veto-proof supermajority.”“I believe that’s the first time in council history,” Restler said during the Committee of Governmental Operations State and Federal Legislation hearing.Council members bristled when City Hall rolled out the form-filling requirement in April, calling it  “bureaucratic BS.”The Adams administration said the policy would help streamline requests and communication and improve efficiency in city government.A spokesperson from the mayor’s office said Thursday that Restler’s bill was too broad, and claimed it would end up barring many written requests, including those filed under the Freedom of Information Law.“No one wants government to exist in a vacuum — that is why the ‘Elected Official Engagement Form’ has been so successful in coordinating agency responses and establishing collaboration across government bodies and representatives at every level of government,” the rep said.Nearly 450 requests have been filled out by council m...