With the 2024 presidential elections rapidly approaching, all areas of public discourse—both online and offline—seem to be inundated with election coverage. Every article, newscast, advertisement, and event appears to revolve around the upcoming election. However, the heightened focus on national politics often overshadows another vital group of governments throughout the United States: local and community governments. There are many officials and committees that makeup New York City’s local government that pass many bills and policies yearly that shape and affect the daily lives of New Yorkers. But do these local governments receive enough coverage, get enough support, and have enough community engagement?
How does NYC’s local government even work?
The government of New York City follows the mayor-council structure. Every four years, citizens of New York City elect a new mayor. According to The Columbia University Libraries, “The mayor is the ultimate executive authority in a municipality…responsible for enacting legislation passed by the city council.” The current Mayor Eric Adams holds the highest executive position in New York City’s government. As chief executive, the mayor oversees the implementation and administration of city programs and policies.
The city’s Comptroller and Public Advocate are two other city-wide elected officials who work alongside the mayor. According to The Official Website of the City of New York, Jumaane Williams, the current Public Advocate, “reviews and investigates complaints about City services, assesses whether agencies are responsive to the public, and recommends improvements in agency programs and complaint handling procedures.” The city’s Comptroller,, Brad Lander, acts as chief financial officer and “advises the mayor, the City Council, and the public of the City’s financial condition, and makes recommendations regarding City programs and operations, fiscal policies, and financial transactions.”
New York City’s legislative branch is composed of the City Council. Within the City Council, there are 51 Council members, each from a different council district. “The Council is separate from the Mayor’s administration but an equal partner in how our City is run,” according to the City Council’s official website. There are also smaller community government entities within New York City. Each of the five boroughs has a Borough President and a Borough Board. Each community district within all five boroughs has a Community Board.
What’s the local government’s role?
“We work hand in hand with all city agencies, your state local elected officials…so everybody has a part,” said Sue Ann Partnow, the district manager at Community Board 18.
Partnow grew up in Canarsie and resides in Bergen Beach, two neighborhoods represented by Community Board 18. During her time as a governmental official, Partnow noticed how people don’t usually attend meetings or get involved. Unless “there is an issue in their particular neighborhood…unfortunately, people tend to be apathetic.” However, Partnow strictly advises against this mindset and approach because many aspects of life in New York City are determined by laws passed by our city’s government. According to The Official Website of New York State, New York City’s government controls “public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services,” all of which affect the daily lives of New York City residents. This is why New Yorkers need to get involved and have a say in the legislative process that shapes and affects their lives.
“I think people should be active in their communities…And no matter what’s going on, even if things are quiet, there’s always something happening, and you should be involved,” said Partnow.
What is The City?
The City is a non-profit, independent newsroom based in New York City that is, according to their website, “dedicated to serving the people of New York” through “high-quality and high-impact accountability reporting.” But what makes The City’s coverage different and important? How are they actually “serving” New Yorkers?
“The City [has] a very big emphasis on helping the news ecosystem,” said Vania Andre, The City’s former communications and marketing director. Andre said The City specializes in “news you can use articles.” These articles often come as guides intended to give communities information they can apply to their lives.
“I think the tendency of a lot of publications is once the daily story has been done, you move on. [At The City] we’re very good at keeping a focus on something until we’re sure that we’ve gotten to the bottom of it… not feeling the necessity to be first for everything allows us to do more informed stories,” said Yoav Gonen, a senior reporter that covers New York City government and politics.
Unlike other publications that move from an article once the initial daily story is done, The City maintains a focused and in-depth approach. The goal is to “extend the reach of [their] reporting and the impact it has,” said Andre.
Do local governments receive coverage?
“There [are] dwindling numbers of reporters who cover local news, even in New York,” said Rachael Holliday Smith, an associate editor at The City. The internet disrupted journalism. Years ago, publications could remain afloat using the revenue they received from advertising. And with the emergence of digital news outlets, “people who use the internet and get their information that way have come to expect that news could be free and that they shouldn’t have to pay for it, because that was how it worked…when there were robust advertising dollars being spent in newspapers,” Smith continued. But do local governments actually need coverage?
“Newspapers are there to be informative, and I would think, in our case, it usually helps and keeps people up to date,” said Partnow, who has seen firsthand the effects that the media has on community engagement. News coverage on events are as simple as community board meetings keep people up to date and informed even if they’re not in-person and able to engage physically. If there is less coverage, there is less community involvement.
How does The City cover local government?
The City strives toward impactful and in-depth reporting when covering local government in New York City.
“We started writing guides and explainers for voters, telling them not only sort of who is running, but also what those different offices do,” said Holliday. When elections arrive, voting becomes overwhelming; with so many candidates and so many different offices, it’s easy for confusion to occur, which results in New Yorkers voting without fully understanding what they’re voting for or just not voting at all.
This is why it’s important to “write stories or provide tools that get people in your community to engage in civics, to understand the importance of civics, to understand the meaning in an election, and to then be able to vote…comfortably and confidently,” said Terry Parris Jr, The City’s former engagement director.
Why should we care about their local governments?
“I think people can feel…disenchanted or powerless [at] the national level. But the local level is where you can sort of really see [and] feel a sense of agency,” said Haidee Chu, a Queens reporter at The City.
Getting engaged with politics at any level is daunting. Everything can seem out of one’s control and reach. However, with local government, you can easily attend community board meetings or read articles.
How to get involved?
Going to block parties, attending meetings, reading, and having conversations all establish civic engagement. When civic engagement increases, laws and policies are more reflective of the wants and needs of citizens. “We also have a lot of free events that organizations and local elected officials and the community board host. It’s important for people to go to those … to show support [and] to show that we have an active community and see what’s going on,” said Partnow.
