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Dear New Yorkers,

The Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) is the city's primary independent police oversight agency.

But at the moment, the CCRB barely has enough members left to conduct business, since the mayor and City Council have left five of its 15 seats unfilled — including the chair position.

Two of the vacant board seats are waiting for appointments by the mayor, two by the City Council, and the chair by the Council and mayor.

The empty seats mean the board can only achieve the two-thirds quorum needed to vote on items if every single member shows up. At the board’s monthly meeting last week, it was initially unable to conduct routine operational matters because one mayoral appointee was late.

A lack of staff has forced the board to close more than 700 cases of possible misconduct this year without probing them, as ProPublica reported earlier this month. Former Police Commissioner Caban has also ignored hundreds of substantiated findings by the board of bad behavior.

“At a time when complaints of NYPD misconduct are on the rise, the city should be strengthening the CCRB, not weakening an already disempowered disciplinary system,” a NYCLU senior staff attorney told THE CITY.

Read more here about the CCRB vacancies.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Tuesday's Weather Rating: 7/10. Mostly cloudy throughout the day with high temperatures near 70. Some peeks of sunshine but some periods of drizzle and a damp breeze, too. The vibes are decent, but a little unsettled at times!

Our Other Top Stories

A company once owned by Deputy Mayor Philip Banks, whose home was recently raided federal investigators, was greenlighted by the Adams administration to qualify for security contracts at migrant shelters — without its contract being subject to the usual competitive bidding process. On the latest episode of FAQ NYC, venture capitalist and political strategist Bradley Tusk discusses his new book, “Vote With Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy,” which proposes a solution to the seemingly intractable problem of low-turnout local elections. Listen here.

Reporter’s Notebook

How to Support the Haitian Times as It’s Under Attack

Our friends at the Haitian Times, a Brooklyn-based news outlet that covers events that affect Haitians around the diaspora, are under attack because of rumors spread by former President Donald Trump and his running mate James David Vance on their quest to reclaim the White House for Republicans.

In countering the false narrative pushed by people with anti-immigrant agendas, the HT traveled to Springfield, Ohio, to speak to Haitian Americans there.

The efforts were rewarded with hate mail, bomb threats and anonymous calls that sent police to an editor’s house, as reported by the Associated Press and the New York Times.

“This is a new form of domestic terrorism,” Special Projects Editor Macollvie Neel told the AP, “and we have to treat it as such.”

Neel relayed to THE CITY Friday evening that dealing with the NYPD has been another hurdle in the aftermath of the online harassment, especially trying to get cops to even understand and appreciate what "doxing" and "swatting" are.

“At this point four days later, I still don’t know the state of the incident report," she said. "That shouldn't be the case. That’s not OK.”

We encourage you to donate to them and keep their journalism going.

— Hasani Gittens

The Doctor is Out

Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health commissioner, will leave his job at the end of the year, citing personal reasons, City Hall announced Monday.

“Serving as the New York City Health Commissioner is perhaps the best job anywhere in public health. It’s a privilege that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” he said in a statement. He said he was leaving to spend more time with his wife and three children.

A commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Vasan oversaw the city’s continued recovery from COVID and a monkeypox outbreak. He also took fire for a request-for-proposals from the health department that looked to expand mental health clubhouses — but with restrictions that seemed to only apply to Fountain House, where Vasan was the CEO before joining the Adams administration.

His departure comes as Mayor Eric Adams and his administration face multiple federal investigations, which forced the resignation of former Police Commissioner Edward Caban\ after federal authorities raided his home. The interim police commissioner, Thomas Donlon, had his homes raided Friday by federal authorities but for something pre-dating his employment.

The mayor on Monday thanked Vasan for his time in office and for staying on through the end of the year as they find his replacement.

— Katie Honan

Hochul Signs Tax Break Renewal Adams Sought

Siding with the Adams administration and real estate interests, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday signed a law extending for four years a commercial property tax break that costs the city more than $500 million a year.

The Industrial & Commercial Abatement Program, which in one form or another dates back to the late 1980s, when scores of businesses were leaving the city, provides a full 13-year property tax exemption on improvements made to a property with another 13 years during which the abatement gradually phases out. It does not apply to parts of Manhattan.

ICAP cost the city $506 million in revenue over the last fiscal year. The Citizens Budget Commission and Reinvent Albany, two fiscally minded civic groups, had pressed the governor to reject the measure, asking the legislature to approve only a one-year extension while the effectiveness of the tax break was studied.

Supporters of the four-year extension argued the tax break promotes crucial economic activity and feared letting it lapse as scheduled in March 2025. The Adams administration also contended that the tax break is needed to make economically viable a new generation of energy-efficient power plants used at times of peak demand.

— Greg David

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Wednesday, Sept. 25: A guided forest bathing experience. Free from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Riverside Park in Manhattan. Friday, Sept. 27: An outdoor screening of “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” (2004), a film set in an alternate-reality New York City. Free with admission at 7 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York. Saturday, Sept. 28: A discussion with the curators about redefining “American art” in Queens. Free from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Queens Museum.

THE KICKER: As you may have heard, the United Nations General Assembly is convening in Manhattan this week. Traffic in Midtown is expected to be especially bad.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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