Bronx City Council members take the lead
as committee chairs, inaugural deputy speaker
BY ALIYA SCHNEIDER
In New York’s fi rst
female-majority City
Council, nine of the
leadership positions are
being fi lled by members
of the Bronx delegation.
Diana Ayala, who
represents both East
Harlem and parts of the
South Bronx, is highest
in the chain of command
among Bronx representatives
in the council as
deputy speaker, a newly
created position. Ayala,
who lives in East Harlem,
is also chairing the
General Welfare Committee.
While requests for
comment from Ayala
were unsuccessful, she
told City and State last
month that she didn’t
know what the deputy
speaker role entails. The
City Council website
does not provide a description
of her role. But
a City Council spokesperson
told the Bronx
Times on Tuesday,
Feb. 8, that the deputy
speaker sets the agenda
and facilitates the City
Council leadership
team’s meetings, which
allows for council leaders
to provide meaningful
input on legislation,
council policies and organizational
affairs.
“Deputy Speaker
Ayala was appointed
to this position in recognition
of her leadership,
the fact that she
is respected amongst
her colleagues, and has
deep knowledge of the
City Council,” Council
Speaker Adrienne Adams,
of Queens, said in
a statement to the Bronx
Times. “Her contributions,
experience, and
insights will be critical
in helping lead this legislative
body forward.
I am excited to call her
the fi rst Deputy Speaker
of our historic New York
City Council.”
Adams is the fi rst
Black person to be
named City Council
speaker.
Ayala was in the running
to become speaker
herself, but the Daily
News reported that
Ayala, along with council
members Justin
Brannan, Keith Powers
and Gale Brewer, who
were considered Adams’
top opponents, threw
their support behind
Adams after a strategy
meeting. Powers is
now the majority leader
and chairs the Rules,
Privileges and Elections
Committee; Brannan
chairs the Finance
Committee, and Brewer
chairs the Oversight
and Investigations Committee.
Ayala isn’t the only
council member in a
leadership position representing
the northernmost
borough, however.
Marjorie Velázquez,
COMMUNITY
CHIROPRATIC
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F 4 FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022 BTR
a Throggs Neck Democrat,
is chairing the
Consumer Affairs and
Worker Protection Committee;
Eric Dinowitz, a
Riverdale Progressive
is chairing the Higher
Education Committee;
Rafael Salamanca Jr., a
Longwood Progressive,
is chairing the Land Use
Committee; Amanda
Farías, a Parkchester
Progressive, is chairing
the Economic Development
Committee; Fordham
Progressive Pierina
Sanchez is chairing
the Housing and Buildings
Committee; Althea
Stevens, a Concourse
Village Progressive, is
chairing the Youth Services
Committee; Kevin
Riley, a Baychester Democrat,
is chairing the
Zoning and Franchises
Land Use subcommittee,
and Oswald Feliz,
a Fordham Democrat,
whose district has suffered
the impacts of the
Twin Parks North West
fi re, is chairing a Fire
Prevention task force.
Dinowitz, a former
teacher, said the Higher
Education Committee
focuses on CUNY, ensuring
the needs of students,
faculty and the
city are all met.
“We want to make
sure that our students
come out of college prepared
for good paying
stable employment and
to have the skills to be
creative and innovative
in our city,” Dinowitz
said.
He said collaborating
Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez, a member of the Bronx
delegation tasked with a City Council leadership position,
speaks with Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Photo | John
McCarten, New York City Council
with private industry,
like tech companies, can
help college students become
competitive applicants.
Dinowitz emphasized
the role of mental health
support for students to
succeed, and said CUNY
serves different functions
in the city, like
providing citizenship
resources through Citizenship
Now.
Velázquez, who cochaired
a nine-hour-long
hearing with Riley on
Tuesday, Feb. 8, regarding
the city’s Open Restaurants
Program for
outdoor dining, stressed
the importance of bringing
all stakeholders to
the table to discuss the
issue at hand. She said
her Consumer Affairs
and Worker Protection
Committee seeks to protect
buyers and workers
alike, from delivery
workers to freelancers,
healthcare patients and
workers.
“When we look at industries,
we oftentimes
forget that healthcare is
also an industry,” she
said.
Ultimately, she wants
people to be reminded
that they are entitled to
protection, whether it’s
a safe working environment
or fair treatment
as a consumer, pointing
to a recent shooting at
Jacobi Medical Center
and COVID-19 test price
gouging.
In a statement, Salamanca
said he will advocate
for historically underserved
communities
through the Land Use
Committee, pointing to
the need for “quality,
truly affordable housing”
exacerbated by the
pandemic.
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