CityAndStateNY.com
January 31, 2022
The new majority
W
ITH 31 WOMEN, the New York City Council has for the first time in its history a female majority. And with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, the body will be led by a woman too. The women who are returning to the council or joining it for the first time have long lists of legislative priorities that cut across gender identities – from police accountability and education equity to af-
Women finally make up most of the New York City Council. How will that change the body’s priorities?
fordable housing and transit accessibility. But for some of the women who make up the council’s new female majority, the new session represents an opportunity to bring increased attention to issues such as the maternal mortality crisis and stubborn pay disparities – so-called women’s issues, even if the term is a bit of a misnomer. “They’re not solely our issues, they’re everyone’s issues,” said new Democratic Council Member Marjorie Velázquez. As several council members pointed out,
By Annie McDonough
it’s not the case that these kinds of issues have been previously ignored by council members. The City Council has allocated money to an abortion access fund in the past, and both the state and city have introduced plans to confront maternal mortality – though follow-through on those plans has fallen short of health advocates’ hopes. But with more women in the City Council than ever, some members said there’s now a better chance of seeing action on these and other issues that primarily affect
WILLIAM ALATRISTE/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
12
