The Other Elected Officials

This chapter examines the power beyond the mayor from three different perspectives: the institutional history of the Board of Estimate, city council, and state legislature in the policy-making process. The chapter also examines the exercise of institutional power in the context of government functions—legislative, budgetary, and oversight; and the nature of nonmayoral elected officials&s; political power. City wide officials each had two votes, while each of the borough presidents had one vote. The state legislature exercises considerable power over city affairs. As elected officials, board members were ill-suited to collectively "manage" the city. As quasi administrators, they nonetheless took legislative actions. The board also frustrated real separation of power; the board&s;s challenges to mayoral authority often failed because of the mayor&s;s presence on it. The City Charter provides that the city council shall be "the local legislative body of the city." The council&s;s powers also are limited by the intervention of the state legislature in New York City affairs.