When it comes to running the City Council, the mayor and the speaker disagree.
The mayor wants to abolish member items, the tax dollars pols hand out as they see fit in their communities. The speaker — who has introduced new rules for member items — says she wants to keep them.
We’re with the mayor.
As a former councilman, Mayor de Blasio no doubt knows how corrupting member items can be. We’ve already seen three councilmen sent to the pokey for abusing member items; another, Dan Halloran, goes on trial in June. Then again, what do you expect when individual legislators are allowed to dole out tax dollars without a vote?
Some of the recipients do good work. But the criteria are political. The speaker rewards loyalists with more member-item funding. The member rewards those he thinks can do him the most good.
The new rules are a step forward. For example, they give the speaker less control over the money, and they give members more ability to propose and push bills. But we’re with our mayor on this one: The best reform of member items would be to get rid of this rotten practice altogether.