Position Statement
Proposed Revisions to the Rules of the New York City Council Testimony
Testimony submitted by Common Cause New York to the New York City Council on September 25, 2025.
Chair Powers, members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to submit a comment on behalf of Common Cause New York.
Common Cause New York objects to the manner in which revisions to the procedural rules of the New York City Council are being handled. On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the City Council announced a Rules Committee meeting, and simultaneously, the Council General Counsel released a 140-page report. Although the rulemaking review process began in December 2022, it was publicly reactivated only in September 2025. While we support regular re-examinations of any legislative body’s rules of procedure, there is no justification for such a rushed schedule. If it took the General Counsel staff more than two years to prepare these revisions, the public and Council members deserve more than four days to review and provide feedback.
In addition to the rushed schedule and report release, there was no Zoom option available, which effectively limited public access and transparency. This raises serious questions about whether the public can meaningfully participate in and review significant proposals that will alter the checks and balances of the City Council. New Yorkers deserve adequate time to assess and comment on changes to the Council’s governing rules.
Advancing this process at the end of a Council session, before a new Speaker will be chosen in the 2026 session, is simply over-reaching and risks undermining accountability and transparency. Such behavior is unacceptable and inappropriate. We call on the Council to withdraw these proposed changes from the calendar and allow the next Council and Speaker to address the Rules Committee in a deliberate, intentional, and open manner.
In submitting this comment, Common Cause New York reserves the right to submit comments on the substance of the proposed rules change in the future, once we have had a chance to thoroughly and thoughtfully review the proposed changes.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Lerner