mp0295 t1_j64ensg wrote on January 27, 2023 at 5:11 PM

Reply to comment by oreosfly in NY attorney general weighs in: Harlem truck depot could be illegal by ctnutmegger

Thank you for the explanation. Seems like a tradition that should be thrown away -- gives individual wackos too much power, especially when most people don't know who their council person is.

TonyzTone t1_j64vvsi wrote on January 27, 2023 at 6:57 PM

>gives individual wackos too much power

Actually, our elections did that.

Member deference might compound the issue but the tradition exists because the city is very large and each member understands that they might not know what's best for a district across the city. Council districts aren't very large so each member should know their district intimately. And some do.

What might be a huge neighborhood issue might not even register on the city's priority list. That's exactly why having a chief neighborhood advocate in the council is so important.

KRJ just massively fucked up here. I don't quite get her thinking, and yes, it's also rippled into a broader city-wide problem.

Empty_Economist t1_j6594xq wrote on January 27, 2023 at 8:22 PM

That's an argument for why representative process is important, i.e. give people a chance to voice their concerns, not an argument for why we need to give councilors veto power.

TonyzTone t1_j664883 wrote on January 27, 2023 at 11:48 PM

It's not veto power. The Council has overruled a member's preference before.

It's an understanding among the CM's that they don't know your district well enough so, they defer to your lead. This happens in any organization all the time. One silo might opine on something but ultimately defer on the silo that knows the issue most intimately.