New York, NY (August 18, 2026) – Citizens Union today released the following statement from Executive Director Grace Rauh in response to reports that the Mamdani administration will skip today’s City Council’s Finance and Governmental Operations Committees oversight hearing on the rollout of the pied-à-terre tax:

“The mayoral administration’s refusal to appear for a standard City Council oversight hearing on the rollout of a new program is a blow to basic accountability standards.

“It is the City Council’s job to ask tough questions, get numbers and data, and give the public a glimpse behind the government’s curtain. It is the executive’s job to respond.

“A recent outlier was Eric Adams’ City Hall, which repeatedly flouted hearings to avoid oversight and transparency. This administration should make it clear it does not intend to go down a similar path.”

Media Contact:
Emily Kaufold, ekaufold@citizensunion.org | 203.295.5783