Statement on Mayor’s NYC DOI Nominee and Council Vetting

Because of interest from journalists and public officials, Reinvent Albany is issuing this statement on the Mayor’s nomination of Nadia Shihata to be Commissioner of the Department of Investigation (DOI) and the City Council’s confirmation process. Reinvent Albany advocates for accountable NY government, including independent and fully-funded anti-corruption and ethics agencies at the state and local level.  

Reinvent Albany appreciates the City Council’s vigorous public questioning of the Mayor’s DOI nominee during confirmation hearings. We believe this is a sign of a healthy democracy, and it is good for the City to have substantive concerns be raised in public instead of behind closed doors. We hope the Council’s desire for an independent DOI chief leads to a discussion about charter changes long-supported by watchdog groups, including independent appointment, removal protections, and funding for DOI. 

Based on public records, we believe Shihata is well qualified to be Commissioner of the Department of Investigation. Additionally, we are encouraged by her strong statements that she would not share information about DOI investigations with the Mayor’s office and would work hard to get full funding for DOI – which is currently operating with a staff far below historical levels. 

While we would strongly prefer an independent appointment process akin to what the State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG) has, and too often executive appointments are influenced by campaign contributions, our understanding from the Council hearing and news reports is that Shihata was not deeply involved with the campaign and is not a confidante of the Mayor or his top advisors. 

Because of this, her highly-relevant professional experience, and her strong commitment to not share any information on  investigations with City Hall, we believe Shihata can act independently and effectively as DOI Commissioner.  

Four Pillars of an Independent, Effective DOI

1. Ex Parte Communications Ban and Clear Recusal Policies – Officials in oversight roles should be bound by strict codes of conduct that include bans on communicating directly with their appointing authorities or designees—particularly concerning ongoing investigations. Additionally, recusal memorandums should be filled out at the onset of appointment, with ongoing review of potential conflicts of interest. COELIG adopted a strong Code of Conduct in 2024 that contains these measures and should be reviewed by DOI for implementation. 
2. Appointment – Beyond supporting a fixed, five-year term with removal only for cause, we encourage the City Council and Mayor to examine charter changes that would create a more independent appointment process, as exists at the State level for COELIG. 
3. Removal – We strongly support the 2025 City Council Charter Commission’s proposed changes to the removal process that were supported by the former DOI Commissioner to require removal only for cause, a public hearing, and Council approval of the removal.
4. Funding – We also strongly support a minimum fixed budget for the DOI. The 2025 City Council Charter Commission proposed giving a fixed percentage of the expense budget to DOI. Ideally, we hope that any such proposal would bring DOI up to its former staffing level of 422 full-time employees.