Committee on Rules, Privileges, Elections, Standards and Ethics meeting
March 12, 2026, 1:00 PM
The committee held hearings on two nominations: the Mayor's submission of Midori Valdivia (M 0041-2026) and the Comptroller's submission of Wayne G. Hawley (M 0051-2026), both seeking the Council's advice and consent to city board appointments.
What was discussed
- Chair Ung opens the nomination hearing and swears in the nominees Council Member Sandra Ung, Chair of the Committee on Rules, Privileges, Elections, Standards and Ethics, gaveled in a hearing on two advice-and-consent nominations and the Committee Counsel administered the oath to each nominee as they came to the witness table.
- COIB nominee Wayne Hawley presents his qualifications Wayne Hawley, nominated by Comptroller Levine to the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) after six years as a board member and prior service as its General Counsel, made an opening statement and noted he would fill the remaining two years of a term expiring March 31, 2028, while flagging that the
- Does elected officials' control of COIB's budget threaten its independence? Chair Ung asked whether having elected officials set the COIB's budget compromises its independence. Hawley said he had not seen budget pressure affect the board's work but acknowledged a potential public perception problem, since the board rules on matters involving the same branches that fund it.
- What are the COIB's critical staffing needs? Asked by Chair Ung to describe staffing shortages, Hawley said the board is down to 20 employees from 26 at the start of the Adams administration, that a critical enforcement-unit attorney position had since been filled, and that the Council had historically stepped in to fund positions after past
- Should public servants facing ethics charges get city-paid counsel, and how should COIB work with DOI? Council Members Ung and Chris Banks asked about legal representation and coordination with other watchdogs. Hawley said fairness supports providing counsel to people before the board but cited budget and conflict-of-interest complications, and explained that under the Charter the Department of
- Why does COIB shield its advisory opinions from disclosure, as DOI's report found? Chair Ung pressed Hawley on a December DOI report criticizing COIB's moonlighting waivers and its position that advisory opinions are fully confidential. Hawley disputed the report's framing of an attorney 'exception,' said outside attorneys remain subject to Chapter 68, defended publishing redacted
- Should COIB publish a fine schedule and revive its public outreach? Minority Leader David M. Carr pressed Hawley on impartiality, the dormant COIB social-media account, and creating a published schedule of fines and penalties so similar cases are treated consistently. Hawley described the board as apolitical regardless of who appoints members, agreed outreach should
- TLC nominee Midori Valdivia presents her qualifications Midori Valdivia, nominated by Mayor Mamdani to chair the Taxi and Limousine Commission and a former TLC Deputy Commissioner and MTA chief of staff, testified that 'transportation is opportunity' for nearly 180,000 drivers, pledged to champion drivers, and said supporting the workforce that powers
- How will TLC expand wheelchair-accessible and on-demand service? Chair Ung questioned Valdivia on accessibility. Valdivia said the yellow-cab fleet is now 50% wheelchair accessible under a settlement, that better incentives and driver training are needed, and that she championed the on-demand Access-A-Ride pilot at the TLC and MTA and would be interested in
- How will TLC protect driver pay, healthcare, and retirement? Council Member Chris Banks pressed on taxi-driver pay and benefits. Valdivia said she met with drivers before the hearing, saw an opportunity around livable wages, recalled that a TLC driver-healthcare effort was struck down in court, and said retirement benefits and what it truly costs to live as a
- How will TLC handle autonomous vehicles without repeating the 'Uber effect'? Council Members Banks and Elsie Encarnación asked how the city can integrate Waymo and other autonomous vehicles without harming driver wages. Valdivia said any robo-taxi operating for hire must be TLC-licensed, that state law currently allows only driverless testing, and that she wants a proactive
- How will TLC support livery and black-car businesses hurt by the 2018 cap? Council Members Encarnación and Minority Leader Carr raised the livery and black-car sector's decline since the 2018 vehicle cap. Valdivia called livery bases pillars of their communities that provide critical access in transit deserts, said they should not be regulated like billion-dollar
- Where does Valdivia stand on congestion pricing? Minority Leader Carr questioned Valdivia on congestion pricing. Valdivia said she worked at the MTA to support the 2019 program, believes it because traffic costs New Yorkers hours every day, and called its first year a success, while Carr countered that many outer-borough constituents see longer
- Will TLC curb Uber and Lyft passenger bans, deactivations, and illegal operators like Empower? Council Member Shekar Krishnan and Chair Ung pressed on platform accountability. Valdivia agreed to support enforcing the law against unfair driver deactivations and to review how passenger bans may enable discrimination, said she wants a more proactive investigative TLC rather than one reliant on
- Can Valdivia hold both the TLC chair and her MTA board seat? Chair Ung closely questioned whether Valdivia could remain on the MTA board while leading the TLC, citing Charter provisions on devoting full time to office and vacating an office upon accepting another. Valdivia said she would stay on the MTA board only until Mayor Mamdani names a replacement, that
- Taxi Workers Alliance drivers back Valdivia and demand action on pay and costs A long line of New York Taxi Workers Alliance members and drivers—including Veronica Martinez, Carmen Cruz (via interpreter Edwin Archbold), Richard Chow, Wayne Chen, Adriano Averzano, Augustine Tang, executive director Bhairavi Desai, and staff attorneys Allie Langley and Zubin Soleimani—supported
- Disability advocates press the nominee on accessibility Disability-rights advocates—Justin Wood of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Joe Rappaport of the Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled, and Jean Ryan of Disabled in Action, all tied to the Taxis for All campaign—supported Valdivia and urged her to advance
- Empower's CEO defends the company Valdivia criticized Joshua Sear, CEO of Empower, congratulated Valdivia but said he was disappointed she commented on Empower without speaking to the company, defending it as software that helps over 10,000 TLC-licensed drivers work for themselves; Black Car Fund director Ira Goldstein and former longtime TLC chair
Agenda
2 items
- M 0041-2026 Communication from the Mayor – Submitting the name of Ms. Midori Valdivia to the Council for its advice and consent regarding her appointment to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, pursuant to Sections 31 and 2301 of the New York City Charter. Hearing Held by Committee
- M 0051-2026 Communication from the Comptroller – Submitting the name of Wayne G. Hawley to the Council for its advice and consent regarding his appointment to the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board pursuant to Section 2602 of the New York City Charter Hearing Held by Committee