(The Center Square) — The New York City Council is considering a proposal to require a ‘cooling-off’ period to prevent former mayoral staff from returning to City Hall as lobbyists.
The bipartisan proposal, which could be voted on this week, would ban former members of the mayor’s staff from taking on lobbying roles for two years. The moratorium would apply to the mayor’s chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, chief counsel, press secretary and others who report directly to the chief executive. Other City Hall officials would face a one-year ban under the proposal.
“Our legislation ensures that the most senior and powerful people in the mayor’s office have a cooling off period where they are not permitted to lobby or appear before anyone in city government,” Councilman Lincoln Restler, the bill’s primary sponsor, said in a statement. “We need to make sure that our public officials are working in the public interest – not working to enrich themselves.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, whose staff would be subject to the new lobbying rules, criticized the plan and pointed out that the administration has pushed for tightening lobbying rules.
“It’s unfortunate that City Council staff and leadership are using their powers to push forward ‘rules for thee but not for me’ legislation,” Adams spokesman Fabien Levy said in a statement. “This bill does not do enough to improve transparency.”
The proposal falls short of a three-year ban on lobbying called for by watchdog groups like Reinvent Albany, which argue the length of time is needed to end the “revolving door” of former officials returning to City Hall to lobby their former colleagues for funding and changes in policy.
The fight over solitary confinement is the latest development in a widening intra-party rift between Adams and the Democratic-led Council, which has also overridden the mayor’s vetoes of a police stop bill and plans to expand the council’s authority over confirming nominees to fill city departments and commissions.
More recently, the City Council has touted plans to create a commission to revise the city’s charter without Mayor Adams’ involvement.
The proposed limits on City Hall lobbying come as Adams is fighting federal corruption and bribery charges, with several former top aides either resigning or facing criminal charges.
However, Adams’ spokesman pointed out that the legislation doesn’t cover other citywide elected officials, including the comptroller, public advocate and council members.
“Some in the Council will falsely tout this bill as ‘good government,'” Levy said. “But this bill does not do enough to give New Yorkers a better line of sight into their government.”
