Ex-Councilmember hit with $200k bill from Campaign Finance Board

Kendall Stewart, who lost his Brooklyn City Council seat in 2009, must repay all of the public matching funds he received in his losing race against Jumaane Williams ⧸ Full Story

Declarations of independent spenders

New York City's bold new campaign finance disclosure rules get their first test this Election Day ⧸ Full Story

Missing members on new city banking board

City misses deadlines for appointing reps under law Bloomberg vetoed ⧸ Full Story

City Council ‘participatory budgeting’ to expand

After a dynamic inaugural year of inviting the public to help decide how the New York City Council spends some of its funds, four council members who pioneered the practice here are about to have some company ⧸ Full Story

Proposed city registry would leash animal abusers

Councilmembers want New York City to track those convicted of cruelty ⧸ Full Story

Which City Council candidates already qualify for public campaign matching funds?

Meet the five City Council contenders who lead the pack for 2013. ⧸ Full Story

What impact have ‘responsible banking’ laws had elsewhere?

Today, the City Council is expected to pass the Responsible Banking Act, which would require banks to report to a new board within the New York City Department of Finance about how they are meeting the credit needs of the city’s lower-income neighborhoods. The city would then be required to consider the information when deciding… ⧸ Full Story

Council members seek stronger community review of zoning exemptions

Constituent complaints drive move to review Board of Standards and Appeals decisions to grant variances ⧸ Full Story

Department of Investigation rebuffs Council bill to protect private-sector whistleblowers

Bill would require city to investigate claims of fraud at city contractors ⧸ Full Story

Child services chief says youngest kids’ care must be funding priority

Administration for Children's Services Commissioner Ron Richter advocates firmly for new EarlyLearn initiative ⧸ Full Story

Webcast: ‘Accountability, Transparency and The Digital City’ forum

Highlights and video from New York World/Tow Center event on access to public information ⧸ Full Story

The Daily Q: Do weeks of City Council budget hearings make a difference?

Yesterday the City Council held its first in its annual series of hearings about the preliminary budget for New York City. These meetings are a chance for council members to question agency heads and allow community members to comment. While the Mayor is ultimately the one who approves the city’s budget, he needs the support… ⧸ Full Story

Council votes today on law to liberate (most of) New York City’s data

Intro 29A requires city agencies to make information available for use in websites and apps — but not until 2018 ⧸ Full Story

Pressure builds to make ‘.nyc’ a reality

New York City could get its own internet domain — but only if it acts quickly ⧸ Full Story

Speaker’s State-of-the-City: Signals for this budget season

A proposal for universal pre-kindergarten and rental assistance for homeless families are two City Council ripostes to an austere budget from the mayor ⧸ Full Story

The Daily Q: What’s the Council Speaker’s track record on State-of-the-City promises?

What’s the Council Speaker’s track record on State-of-the-City promises? First Governor Andrew Cuomo, then Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and now it’s City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. New York’s second-most powerful figure in city government will be giving her annual State of the City speech today at noon, her sixth since assuming the position in 2006. While… ⧸ Full Story