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City Council Will Sue Bloomberg For First Time On Behalf Of Homeless People
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 29, 2011
Modified Nov 29, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 29, 2011
Modified Nov 29, 2011
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Over the years, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has come to be viewed by many New Yorkers as a pliant tool of the Bloomberg administration. But with an end to the Bloomberg era on the horizon, Quinn—a likely mayoral candidate—is eager to show some daylight between her and the billionaire plutocrat. To that end, the City Council will slap the Bloomberg administration with a lawsuit over a controversial policy requiring single homeless adults to prove they have nowhere else to stay before the city gives them shelter.
The City Council is expected to sue over a procedural issue, arguing that the Bloomberg administration did not notify the public and allow ample time for public comment on the new police at the Homeless Services Department. "We are going to do everything in our power to try and prevent its implementation," Quinn told reporters yesterday, according to Reuven "Viane Delgado" Blau at the Daily News. Asked about what this means for her cozy relationship with the mayor, Quinn said, "It says nothing about my relationship with the mayor. It says that we have an issue where the mayor and his administration and I disagree."
Seth Diamond, commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services, insists the public did have ample time to respond, and tells the Times, "We gave two weeks’ notification to Legal Aid. I testified in front of the City Council for several hours and answered all of their questions. We are participating in a judicial review of the policy. We think we have provided an opportunity for people who are concerned to review the policy, to make comments, and at the end of the day we’re confident that we have a good policy that is fair to the people we’re serving and fair to the taxpayers."
The Legal Aid Society has already sued the city, arguing that the new policy violates the city’s obligation to provide shelter to anyone who seeks it. The Department of Homeless Services has already postponed implementing the policy because of the Legal Aid Society suit, but hey, there's always room for one more lawsuit.
Tagged
christine quinn
City Council
department of homeless services
homeless shelters
homelessness
mayor bloomberg
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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