Watchdogs to City Council: Please Disclose COIB Guidance on Ballot Mailer Spending
November 19, 2024
VIA EMAIL
Adrienne Adams
Speaker of the New York City Council
Re: Please publish COIB opinion on ballot question mailers provided to City Council
Dear Speaker Adams,
We write to ask you to publish the opinion you received from the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB), reported in City & State, on whether or not City Council spending on mailers regarding local ballot propositions constitutes a violation of the City Charter.
We believe this and all COIB opinions clarifying the institutional powers of the City Council should be published in the interest of public transparency and to ensure accurate news reporting.
The City Council’s decision to spend taxpayer dollars on mailers about the November 5 ballot proposals has been criticized in a formal complaint to COIB. The Council responded by citing excerpts of a COIB advisory opinion to a journalist. Much better would be for Council to release the full COIB opinion and also authorize COIB to publish the decision on its website. We all benefit when the public record is set straight.
Thank you for your attention to our request.
Sincerely,
John Kaehny
Executive Director
Reinvent Albany
Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director
Citizens Union
Susan Lerner
Executive Director
Common Cause NY
Kai Rosenthal and Deborah Brodheim
Co-Presidents
League of Women Voters of the City of New York
cc:
Conflicts of Interest Board