City Council District 23 – General Election 2013

Mark Weprin has been an elected official for 20 years, 15 of which were in the New York State Assembly. He is the incumbent for the district, and serves and chair of the Zoning Committee, and is a candidate for Speaker for the next City Council. On reform issues, Weprin is committed to making the City Council a more inclusive body that provides opportunities for rank-and-file members to have meaningful input on legislation through party conferences and debate on the floor. He believes committee chairs should play more of a role in setting committee agendas and supports the establishment of a regular schedule for committees to ensure better attendance and engagement of Councilmembers. Regarding discretionary funding, Weprin believes each member should receive an equal amount of funding. He is also supportive of participatory budgeting. Weprin believes Councilmembers should not vote on their own compensation, and believes compensation, including lulus, should be examined together. Beyond Council reform, Weprin was a co-sponsor of legislation establishing an Inspector General to oversee the New York Police Department and he believes stop and frisk has been overused. Weprin is a big proponent of transparency, and points to his record supporting the city’s Open Data Law in addition to sponsoring a bill in the Assembly that resulted in the telecasting of the Assembly’s proceedings. Weprin also backs non-citizens voting and is open to the idea of independents voting in party primaries. Citizens Union believes Councilmember Weprin supports our values of transparency and more of a role for rank-and-file members in the Council, and so we endorse his candidacy.