New York’s City Council will experience an extraordinary turnover this election cycle, with 35 out of the 51 Council members newly elected. The turnover, largely a result of the two-term limit on the job but also because of a few recent vacancies and one expulsion, means large swaths of the city—from the Lower East Side in Manhattan to Soundview in the Bronx—will have the chance to elect a new Council member. There are hundreds of people running for these positions and in some races, there are as many as 10 candidates.

To help make sense of the dizzying array, you can check these resources to find your Council district and see who is running. But first, what do council members actually do?

PASS LEGISLATION

Council members have the power to introduce bills, hold hearings, and create new laws. There are 38 committees that hold hearings on proposed legislation. In 2020, the City Council enacted 125 local laws. They run the gamut. In December of last year, the council passed a bill that protects fast food workers from being fired without cause. In June, the Council made chokeholds by the NYPD a criminal act. Later, a council member introduced a bill to amend the law but it was never heard. Just last week, the Council announced it would begin hearings on a package of bills to reform policing and increase accountability.

NEGOTIATE THE BUDGET

Every year between January and July, the City Council and the Mayor hammer out a budget larger than that of many nations. The current FY2021 budget totals $88.2 billion. The ritual begins with the Mayor’s preliminary budget presented in January followed by a negotiation involving the Council, city agencies, advocacy organizations, activists, and non-profit groups that hold contracts with the city. A final balanced budget must be passed before July 1st, the start of the fiscal year.

The three agencies that comprise the largest part of city spending, in order, are the Department of Education, the Department of Social Services and the New York Police Department.

This year, and likely for several years to come, the stakes of the budget talks are especially high because the city must find its way out of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic that exposed stark inequalities. The Citizens Budget Commission points out that prior to Covid, the city expected to close fiscal years 2020 and 2021 with zero deficits; Instead, the budget shortfall is $10.4 billion.

“Council members play a major role in determining how your tax dollars are spent throughout the city, and specifically in their neighborhoods,” said Doug Turetsky from the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO), adding that Council members also allocate millions of dollars—this year it was around $375 million—to specific programs in their districts.

AGENCY OVERSIGHT

There are 38 City Council committees overseeing the work of New York City agencies and programs, holding agency heads and program administrators accountable and pressing for better results. City leadership has been put on the hot seat about everything from a lead paint scandal at the New York City Housing Authority to the persistence of segregation within public schools.

In 2018, the City Council created a new Oversight and Investigations committee. Armed with subpoena power, the committee has tackled the carting industry, after a commercial trash hauler ran over two people. There were hearings on a city program under scrutiny for foreclosing on Black and brown property owners in low-income communities. More recently, committee investigators found proof that a high-ranking NYPD official, James Kobel, was posting racist rants online. The official filed for retirement last month. (Update: Kobel was fired on Wednesday, February 3rd.)

LAND USE DECISIONS

The City Council has the final say over zoning changes that transform neighborhoods in both positive and negative ways. The mayor can elect to veto the decision to approve or disapprove a land use application within 5 days of the vote, but "the Council, by a 2/3 vote, can override a mayor’s veto of its decision within 10 days of the veto." In 2015, the council approved a mega mall in Willets Point, Queens. A stretch of auto body shops known as the iron triangle were removed in the process. More recently, after an emotional battle, the council approved the Mayor’s plan to close Rikers Island and replace it with borough-based jails. Council members also approve what spaces are designated a landmark or a historic district, protecting it for posterity. And they have a say in the city’s real estate deals.

The way the city proposes to use its land can lead to contentious fights in neighborhoods that want to protect their waterfront, maintain affordable living, or keep pollution out of their neighborhoods. A council member who represents a district up for rezoning has great sway because it’s a tradition to defer to them during the land use process. Last July, activists in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, celebrated when a bid to rezone their waterfront failed. They had been lobbying against the Industry City plan for years and convinced their City Council member, Carlos Menchaca, to vote against it. The developers withdrew their bid. And Menchaca is running for mayor. There are nine candidates vying to fill his seat.

Find your City Council district here:

Correction: This story originally stated that after the Council made chokeholds by the NYPD a criminal act, the law was later revised. It has been updated to reflect that a council member introduced a bill to amend the law but it was never heard.