Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum says she’ll step down at the end of her cur rent term next year.
Therein lies an opportunity.
Gotbaum could have run for re-election in light of last week’s City Council vote extending term limits to 12 years. But she says she won’t.
Gotbaum strongly argued against extending limits by council legislation, rather than via referendum – so, she says, she’s bowing out on principle.
Good for her.
Principle in politics is so rare that it must be applauded when it appears.
But Gotbaum’s departure presents an excellent opportunity to wonder once again why the office even exists.
It came about in the 1989 City Charter overhaul. The advocate presides over City Council meetings and temporarily takes over if the mayor is incapacitated.
Theoretically, the public advocate also “advocates” for the public – but there’s scant evidence of any of that.
(Years ago, Mark Green used the platform with some skill to advocate for himself – for which he received a hefty salary and a multi-million-dollar budget. This was good for Green, not so much the public.)
Now the office is coming vacant again.
So why not just eliminate the job?
For sure, the public wouldn’t miss it.