Mayor Bill de Blasio at City Hall today (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
May 6, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that his office is forming several advisory councils to aid New York City’s reopening when the coronavirus pandemic recedes.
The City is rolling out six councils on specific sectors of city life today with four more on the way in the coming days, de Blasio said.
“Their views, their questions, their input are going to be used immediately in our restart planning and then continue on as we build ahead towards recovery,” de Blasio said at City Hall today.
The first six will meet tomorrow and include: a small business council; a large business council; a labor and workforce development council; an arts, culture and tourism council; a faith-based organizations council; and a construction and real estate council.
The remaining four include: a nonprofit and social services council; a public health and healthcare council; an education and vocational training council; and a surface transportation council.
Each council will be up and running by next week, de Blasio said.
The councils will have 20 to 40 members each and be led by one one or two deputy mayors and city agency heads.
“This is an example of listening to people who are the experts because they live the life, they do the work, they understand what everyone’s going through,” de Blasio said.
“We want to hear from them, we want to hear their voices helping us understand what will work, also warning us about what may not work.”
