NYC Council speaker blasts Mayor Adams' new protocol for accessing agency heads

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams advised her fellow councilmembers this week to ignore a new protocol from Mayor Eric Adams that encourages elected officials to fill out a detailed form in order to meet with leaders of his administration.

Although she said the mayor’s team had not officially informed the Council about any new requirement, she denounced the reported process as “inappropriate.”

“If there were to be such a policy introduced to the Council, I have an issue with the executive branch of government issuing policy, so to speak, to any legislative branch of government,” the speaker said during a press conference at City Hall on Thursday. “I think it’s inappropriate, and we can just start there.”

Her remarks followed a statement her office issued on Wednesday, which declared that the Council would not adhere to an “excessively bureaucratic and inefficient process that will only undermine the work of city government on behalf of New Yorkers.” The statement said that because elected officials frequently communicate with the executives of city agencies about issues affecting their constituents, requiring a request form to be completed would only hinder their ability to solve problems.

Several councilmembers told Gothamist on Tuesday that the administration had instructed their offices to complete a lengthy online form if they wanted to engage with agency leaders and their top staff. The form included a disclaimer that completing it doesn’t guarantee a meeting or appearance, and that “the City reserves the right to decline requests.”

The tussle marks the latest development in growing tensions between the mayor and the Council. They have repeatedly fought over legislation, and the mayor has made several unsuccessful attempts to jettison recently passed measures on criminal justice and housing. It also comes as the administration and councilmembers spar over the city’s next multibillion-dollar budget, which is due July 1.

Mayor Adams’ office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Gothamist.

Speaker Adams said on Thursday that she had told her members to “conduct business as usual, because it is the most effective way that we deal with our agencies and our commissioners.”

In a nod to one of the mayor's slogans, she said implementing a request form for engagements with agency leaders was “certainly not the way to ‘get stuff done’ for the people of the city.” During his first State of the City address, Mayor Adams introduced what he billed as a “Get Stuff Done” strategic plan to tackle a host of issues, including public safety, homelessness and the economy.