Opinion: Build a City for People, Not Developers

What s really on the line here isn t paperwork it s power Without member deference decisions about what gets built and where shift away from accountable elected leaders and into the hands of deep-pocketed developers who answer to no one but their investors Members of the City Council during a stated meeting in November Emil Cohen NYC Council Media Unit In the fight over the future of New York City one thing must stay non-negotiable our neighborhoods don t belong to developers they belong to the people who live and work in them That s why we must reject the Charter Revision Commission s proposal to eliminate member deference in the City Council It s not chosen obscure procedural rule it s one of the last lines of defense New Yorkers have against profit-first developers who treat our city like a Monopoly board Member deference gives locally elected councilmembers the ability to fight for the people they represent on major land use decisions It s not just a courtesy it s a shield It s how working people protect their homes their jobs and their neighborhoods from being steamrolled by billionaire real estate interests that see every block as an commitment opportunity Yes we need to build more housing Yes we need to do it faster And the carpenters are ready to roll up our sleeves to get it done But efficiency can t come at the cost of fairness It can t mean giving developers a blank check while stripping communities and the workers who build this city of a voice Streamlining the process is one thing Silencing the people That s something else entirely What s really on the line here isn t paperwork it s power Without member deference decisions about what gets built and where shift away from accountable elected leaders and into the hands of deep-pocketed developers who answer to no one but their investors That is not reorganization it is a sellout We need a process that makes damn sure the people at the table are thinking about their neighbors not the donors lining their pockets Member deference holds councilmembers accountable If they stop listening to the people and start siding with developers voters can show them the door That s real democracy We ve seen what happens when rise is done right with labor standards and society input Good jobs are created affordable housing goes up and neighborhoods thrive And we ve seen what happens when developers get free rein rents skyrocket workers get shut out and communities are hollowed out If we re serious about solving the housing predicament then we need to build more housing that is affordable union-built and community-driven And that only happens when local voices are part of the process from the start not pushed out of the way for the sake of speed This isn t about protecting a political norm It s about protecting working people Weakening their voice doesn t move us forward it hands the reins to the powerful meager Let s build a city for the people who power it not the people who profit off it Paul Capurso is the executive secretary-treasurer pro tem of the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters The post Opinion Build a City for People Not Developers appeared first on City Limits