Jan. 11, 2018 By Tara Law
Councilmember Daniel Dromm of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst has been named the chair of the City Council’s Committee on Finance.
The new City Council Speaker, Corey Johnson of Manhattan, announced the committee chair assignments today. The Committee on Finance is considered to be one of the two most prestigious committees in the City Council, along with the Committee on Land Use.
Dromm was first elected to the City Council in 2009.
The committee has jurisdiction to review and modify the city’s $85 billion budget as well as its fiscal policy.
The committee also has jurisdiction over the New York City’s Banking Commission, the Department of Design and Construction, the Department of Finance and the Office of the Comptroller.
The councilmember reacted to his assignment in a Twitter post.
“Being Finance Cmte Chair gives me the opportunity to set priorities for the city using the vast resources available to us,” wrote Dromm. “I intend to use this position to move a progressive budget forward working closely w @NYCSpeakerCoJo who I thank for giving me this opportunity to serve.”
Dromm is also a member of the committees on Aging, Civil and Human Rights, Civil Service and Labor, Education and Immigration.
He is the chair of the Irish Caucus and a member of the Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Caucus and the Progressive Caucus.
Being Finance Cmte Chair gives me the opportunity to set priorities for the city using the vast resources available to us. I intend to use this position to move a progressive budget forward working closely w @NYCSpeakerCoJo who I thank for giving me this opportunity to serve.
— Daniel Dromm (@Dromm25) January 11, 2018
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Please support a no BID proposal on behalf of Coney Island local businesses along Mermaid, Neptune and Cropsey Avenue.
BY
BARBARA ROSS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, August 1, 2011, 4:00 AM
Angry property owners who mounted a fierce fight against a Business Improvement District in Chinatown will get to argue their case privately this week with the powerful chairman of the City Council Finance Committee.
The chairman, Domenic Recchia, invited the leading opponents to a meeting with him and Margaret Chin, the councilwoman who represents Chinatown and who is an avid supporter of the BID.
The surprise meeting came as both advocates and opponents predicted earlier last month that the full City Council would approve the BID by the end of this summer.
Jan Lee, a leading opponent who owns two buildings on Mott St., said in an email that the Council leadership, and Chin, might be getting nervous because the Chinatown opponents have teamed up with opponents to a SoHo BID.
“An alliance is forming against both BIDS, with the focus on Margaret Chin,” he said.
Recchia was not available to comment. A Chin aide said the meeting was called because “it is important for us to talk to Jan and the opposition so we can work together as much as possible moving forward. We don’t want an us-versus-them situation here.”
Both sides were predicting the Council would approve the Chinatown BID because the opposition in June did not submit enough ballots to automatically defeat it.
Paul Nelson, assistant commissioner in the city Department of Small Business Services, said when the final opposition vote was tallied, there were about 533 votes in favor of the project and 388 against it.
The final number falls short of the 51% needed to block the BID. Instead, he said, opponents got support from only about 21% of the 1,891 owners who were qualified to vote.
However, state law also does not require the Council to approve a bid if the opposition falls short of the 51%.
Small building owners struggling with rising property, water and utility bills oppose paying more to a BID for basic services like street-cleaning.
The BID dues are expected to run from $1 per condominium unit to $5,000 for some larger buildings. Initially, dues of $1,000 or less will be imposed on 74% of the lots in Chinatown. The average bill will be around $700.
Chin still embraces the Chinatown BID, but others, like Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who is a mayoral contender like City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, is noncommittal. A spokesman said Stringer “is continuing to listen to both sides.”
Nelson stopped short of saying that the Bloomberg Administration supports the controversial Chinatown BID, but said, “We believe that a clean and safe Chinatown is good for business.” Please support a no BID proposal for Coney Island,
Congratulations on your appointment. We are proud of you and wish you success.