City Council

For Council Speaker Quinn, a memorable year

By Vera Haller | amNewYork Editor in Chief

December 22, 2006

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One November afternoon, Christine Quinn swept into City Council chambers to preside over a ceremonial session. Her red hair in place and wearing a signature dark business suit, Quinn appeared at home in her role as speaker, brandishing the mic with aplomb and putting the visitors including a group of schoolchildren being honored for their work in an art show at ease with jokes and smiles.

After leading everyone in a cheer of "We love art," Quinn turned to the next group receiving a special council commendation, the Committee to Save St. Brigid's Church, which is fighting a developer's wrecking ball.

By honoring this particular group, Quinn highlighted a number of things about herself: her background in (and commitment to) community activism; her Irish ancestry (the East Village church served immigrants who had fled Ireland's potato famine), and her role as a city powerbroker (not shying away from taking a public stand on a development dispute).

Perhaps more revealing about this vignette from Quinn's political life was what it did not reflect: all the hubbub about her being the first woman and first openly gay person to reach the speaker's office. This was a politician reaching out to constituents and nothing more.

As she approached her first anniversary as speaker, Quinn, 40, said that besides having to ask for a make-up mirror for her City Hall bathroom, her "firsts" have had little impact on her day-to-day work at City Hall.

She is aware, however, that the spotlight still shines on her.

"Whenever you're a first anything, you have to take stock in that and you have to recognize the additional responsibility that gives you to make sure you do that job extraordinarily well," Quinn said. "Because you don't want anybody to say a woman or gay person can't do that job, look at so-and-so "

During an interview in her City Hall office, Quinn said she was most proud of having helped get new bulletproof vests for the police department. She also won a big victory this week when the council adopted a compromise bill she brokered that would expand a program requiring developers to include affordable housing in their buildings if they want city tax breaks.

Her biggest frustration? "If you had asked me last year, I would've thought that I'd be able to start making expense budget progress and capital budget progress in the same year," she said. "I guess the amount of work we had to do was greater than I realized."

As part of this budget process, Quinn has ended the year with a series of visits deep into the boroughs to ask constituents where they want their tax dollars spent.

"The thing I'm most struck with after having done five [visits] is the similarities whether you're in Harlem or Bensonhurst or Staten Island," she said. "People say affordable housing, parks, more uniformed police officers on the street, better services for seniors and smaller class size."

This tactic of talking to as many people she can on an issue is one she's used in other areas. Quinn points to her summit on nightclub safety following the slaying of Immette St. Guillen that led to a law tightening security checks on bouncers. There also was the consensus she sought previous to proposing her legislation on tax breaks for developers.

"My speakership is only going to be as good as the connection I can make with my colleagues and the connection I can make with New Yorkers," she said.

For the new year, Quinn said her agenda included budget work, additional nightclub safety legislation and some oversight hearings on police department procedures following the fatal shooting of Sean Bell.

She brushes aside talk of higher office. "Right now, my political aspirations are to finish this year on a high note and to hopefully finish my holiday shopping, and I want to keep working as hard as I can."