Nobody seems satisfied with the esteemeed New York City Council these days. Tomorrow, the criticism is coming from an unexpected quarter: The League of Conservation Voters Education Fund is releasing a report on “greenways” to improve the Council.
It’s worth looking at the whole report, the look at the partially-fulfilled hopes of 2001 for the Council is particularly interesting for people who followed the fight over changes at the time:
“Under Speaker Miller, the City Council made eight reforms to their operating rules, which were designed to address the Fresh Democracy Council’s goals and provide greater transparency in the Council’s operations. Some of these reforms have served the public well, such as the City Council’s online legislative tracking system. But others have only changed the written rules of the institution and not its culture. For example, there is a provision to allow Council members to force a vote on legislation stalled before a committee, but it has never been exercised.”
