Public Advocate
The Public Advocate is an independently elected citywide official, next in line to the Mayor, who is your ombudsman to cut through government red tape.
As Ombudsman, or go-between, the Public Advocate answers complaints about people's problems with city government, investigates ineffective agencies and programs, proposes solutions that make government more efficient, and helps communities gain better access to government.
The Public Advocate is responsible for reporting the failure of any City agency or official to comply with the New York City Charter. The office also monitors the effectiveness of the City's public information and education efforts about citywide initiatives.
The Public Advocate presides at meetings of the City Council and is a member of all Council committees. He also has the power to introduce legislation.
The Public Advocate is a Trustee on New York City‘s largest retirement system, with over $40 billion in assets; he holds one of six full votes.
The Public Advocate is also member of the board of trustees of the City's Audit Committee, and an ex-officio member of the boards of the Museum of the City of New York and the Queens Borough Public Library. The Public Advocate appoints one member to the City Planning Commission, the Citywide Council on Special Education and serves on the committee to select the director of the Independent Budget Office.
Bill de Blasio
1 Centre Street, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10007
212-669-7200 (phone- general inquiries)
212-669-7250 (phone-Ombudsman services)
212-669-4701 (fax)
On November 3rd, 2009, Bill de Blasio was elected New York City’s third Public Advocate. For the prior eight years, de Blasio served in the New York City Council where he fought to make City Hall more responsive and accountable to New Yorkers.
Bill de Blasio began his work in New York City government as an aide to Mayor David Dinkins. During the Clinton Administration, de Blasio was appointed Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he served under formerSecretary Andrew Cuomo. In 1999, de Blasio was elected to the School Board for District 15 in Brooklyn. In 2000, he managed Hillary Rodham Clinton's successful campaign for U.S. Senate. The following year, de Blasio was elected to the New York City Council where he represented District 39 in Brooklyn for eight years.
In the City Council Bill de Blasio, has fought to improve and protect public education and child care. In the spring of 2008, de Blasio organized a successful coalition of elected officials, parents, students, and advocates to win back millions of dollars in classroom funding slated for cuts.
De Blasio has also been a dedicated advocate for affordable housing, authoring a City law that prevents landlords from discriminating against tenants who depend on Section 8 vouchers to help pay for housing.
As the Chair of the Council's General Welfare Committee, Bill de Blasio has spent the past eight years working to protect New York City's most vulnerable populations, including children and the homeless.
Bill de Blasio holds a Bachelors degree from New York University and a Masters in International and Public Affairs from Columbia University. De Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, met while working together in the Dinkins Administration. They live with their two children, Chiara and Dante, in Brooklyn.
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