A new legislative year means fresh leadership posts for the City Council, as Speaker Adrienne Adams reshuffled some key committee positions. Nine Brooklyn council members were voted in Thursday to lead various committees, as some in key posts last year were swapped out for new blood.
“I am proud of the City Council’s Leadership and committee assignments. We continue our legacy as the most diverse Council in New York City history, and each member’s diverse experiences and expertise will shape the priorities that are truly reflective of what our communities need,” said Adams through a statement. “While there is much more work to be done, we can build on our foundation of prioritizing women and working families and uplifting the communities that have historically lacked access to critical resources.
The City Council has 36 committees that works on forming city policy, with one chair and at least five members. After the committee works on a policy measure, it is brought to vote by the entire council.
Inna Vernikov, who made recent headlines when she carried a gun to a rally at Brooklyn College, was voted as Minority Whip. Crystal Hudson will head Aging, Sandy Nurse will lead Criminal Justice, while Rita Joseph will run the Education committee.
Justin Brannan was voted in as the chair of Finance, while Lincoln Restler will head Government Operations, State and Federal Legislation. The Hosptials committee will be run by Mercedes Narcisse, while Chris Banks will head Public Housing.
The Technology committee will be run by Jennifer Gutierrez, while Farah Louis will head Woman/Gender Equity.
Two Brooklyn council members will run subcommittes. Darlene Mealy will chair Senior Centers and Food Insecurity, while Shahana Hanif, who last year ran the Immigration Committee, will now co-chair the Task Force to Combat Hate.
Chi Ossé, who previously headed the Cultural Affairs committee, did not get a leadership position, nor did Kalman Yeger, who chaired Standards and Ethics.
The shake-ups by Adams has been deemed by some council members as retaliation against those who voted against last year's budget, according to City & State.
“I get it, I get the impulse to speculate and try to figure it out, and attribute a singular reason behind committee decisions,” Speaker Adams said at a press conference on Thursday, when asked about the idea that the shuffle amounted to retaliation. “But it’s always a lot more complex than that.”
