by Saeed Shabazz
Staff Writer

NEW YORK (FinalCall.com)�While much attention has been paid to the victory of Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg, political observers here say Blacks and Latinos can garner power by capturing the speaker�s seat and powerful committee chairmanships in the N.Y. city council.

"Blacks must continue to press for accountability from the political process, even though we were unable to get Freddie Ferrer elected mayor," Brooklyn community activist Sonny Carson told The Final Call. The 51-member city council will have 37 new members in January, when the swearing-in ceremony takes place, with 23 seats held by Blacks and Latinos.

Many of freshman council members, like Brooklyn activist Charles Barron, are pushing ahead quickly. He and 18 other newcomers have formed the Fresh Democratic Council. They interviewed the eight candidates for speaker of the council and plan to have a public debate Dec. 5, to open a usually closed process to the public, he said. It takes 26 votes to become speaker.

In the past, picking the speaker and appointing members to chair city council committees took place in "back-room deals," said Mr. Barron. Political party leaders from each borough and local unions have had a more than equal say in picking the speaker, observers charge. The Fresh Democratic Council wants the process to be solely in the hands of the council members.

According to Mr. Barron and recent press reports, the Fresh Democratic Council intends to offer motions to reform the process for choosing the speaker. Brooklyn Councilman Angel Rodriguez appears to be the frontrunner for the position.

"We as Blacks must organize and move forward to acquire economic empowerment in this city, and a good way to start is by getting someone from our base in as speaker of the city council," Assemblyman Al Vann told The Final Call. Mr. Vann ran successfully for a city council seat in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He was in the State Assembly for 27 years.

"Everything changed in this city after Sept. 11. Our plans for developing Black/Latino communities could fall through the cracks, if we do not control the power of the council leadership." Mr. Vann said. He is a candidate for the speaker position, along with Harlem Councilman Bill Perkins.

There has been only one speaker in the history of the New York City Council. Queens Councilman Peter Vallone, who was unseated by term limits, served as speaker from 1989 until this year. He is often credited with strengthening the council as a legislative body, but detractors say he ruled with an undemocratic iron hand. Critics have long charged that to keep council members in line, Mr. Vallone would strip them of committee assignments, or withhold funds for community programs, if someone disagreed with him. Mr. Vallone hired the council�s central staff, appointed all committee chairmen and set the council schedule and agenda.

New York City spends $40 billion a year, employing 250,000 civil servants. The education budget for the city�s 1.1 million children is in excess of $11 billion. According to city figures, New York takes in annually $23 billion in taxes and receives $12.5 billion from federal and state coffers.

"We need to be at the table when they are sharing the fiscal pie," Prof. James Blake, of the City University of New York, told The Final Call. Prof. Blake, a Queens activist, ran in the primary for a chance to represent his district in the city council, but lost.

He argues taking control of council leadership, not just the speaker�s seat, must include chairing the Finance and Land Use Committees.

The Finance Committee controls the methods by which the city raises funds, including taxes and intergovernmental aid, how these funds are spent, and the processes for making spending decisions.

Land Use decides how the city�s 200,000 acres are utilized. Prof. Blake and other activists say Blacks have never been able to control these committees.

The speakership of the city council is seen as the second most powerful position. Mr. Vallone also made the council a powerful adversary to the mayor, something Charles Barron admits is extremely important now, given the city�s fiscal problems.

New York City lost 10,000 jobs in August, just before the Sept. 11 attacks. The Fiscal Policy Institute, a private watchdog group, projected the loss of 108,500 jobs, in the first month after the Sept. 11 tragedy�a $17 billion loss to the city�s economy. The institute predicts that in fiscal year 2002, spending will outstrip revenues by $2.7 to $2.9 billion, and will continue into 2003, maybe to 2005.

Mr. Perkins told The Final Call that he sees no problem with the new leadership rules for the speakership. "My philosophy is to empower people," he said, admitting he feels strongly that council leadership should come from the ranks of the 16 incumbents. However, he added, Black and Latino communities have been marginalized for too long. Ground Zero is all over New York City, Harlem in particular, with a crisis in housing, education and jobs, he said. "We need that seat," Mr. Perkins said.

Mr. Rodriguez, while sidestepping questions about reform, told reporters, "under Peter Vallone, members did not have access to the speaker, but that will change under my leadership."