“What’s really on the line here isn’t paperwork—it’s power. Without member deference, decisions about what gets built and where shift away from accountable elected leaders and into the hands of deep-pocketed developers who answer to no one but their investors.”
Members of the City Council during a stated meeting in November. (Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit)
In the fight over the future of New York City, one thing must stay non-negotiable: our neighborhoods don’t belong to developers—they belong to the people who live and work in them.
That’s why we must reject the Charter Revision Commission’s proposal to eliminate member deference in the City Council. It’s not some obscure procedural rule—it’s one of the last lines of defense New Yorkers have against profit-first developers who treat our city like a Monopoly board.
Member deference gives locally elected councilmembers the ability to fight for the people they represent on major land use decisions. It’s not just a courtesy—it’s a shield. It’s how working people protect their homes, their jobs, and their neighborhoods from being steamrolled by billionaire real estate interests that see every block as an investment opportunity.
Yes, we need to build more housing. Yes, we need to do it faster. And the carpenters are ready to roll up our sleeves to get it done. But efficiency can’t come at the cost of fairness. It can’t mean giving developers a blank check while stripping communities, and the workers who build this city, of a voice. Streamlining the process is one thing. Silencing the people? That’s something else entirely.
What’s really on the line here isn’t paperwork—it’s power. Without member deference, decisions about what gets built and where shift away from accountable elected leaders and into the hands of deep-pocketed developers who answer to no one but their investors. That is not reform, it is a sellout.
We need a process that makes damn sure the people at the table are thinking about their neighbors, not the donors lining their pockets. Member deference holds councilmembers accountable. If they stop listening to the people and start siding with developers, voters can show them the door. That’s real democracy.
We’ve seen what happens when development is done right—with labor standards and community input. Good jobs are created, affordable housing goes up, and neighborhoods thrive. And we’ve seen what happens when developers get free rein: rents skyrocket, workers get shut out, and communities are hollowed out.
If we’re serious about solving the housing crisis, then we need to build more housing that is affordable, union-built, and community-driven. And that only happens when local voices are part of the process from the start, not pushed out of the way for the sake of speed.
This isn’t about protecting a political norm. It’s about protecting working people. Weakening their voice doesn’t move us forward; it hands the reins to the powerful few.
Let’s build a city for the people who power it—not the people who profit off it.
Paul Capurso is the executive secretary-treasurer pro tem of the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters.
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