Talking to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson

Forty Greater NY partners from the nonprofit and private sectors sat down with New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson for an off-the-record breakfast conversation about leadership in the city. One attendee asked, “What’s the biggest piece of advice you’d give to the younger version of yourself – the person you were when you became speaker in 2018?” Johnson said, “The first 90 days are really important. Figure out what the key issues are and fix them early.”

“Figure out what the key issues
are and fix them early.”

Johnson likes to fix things. He came to NYC at age 19, was elected to City Council at 31 and was elected speaker at 37. “Getting things done is about forging relationships,” he said. “Politics is like life. You need to connect with people, sit down with people, talk to people.”

The morning’s conversation focused on key issues for New York City and ranged from housing and homelessness to transportation and the disconnect between the record low unemployment figures and the 19% of New Yorkers living in poverty. Organizations that serve New Yorkers in poverty are at the core of Greater NY. Nonprofit leaders in the room, along with their Greater NY partners, pressed the speaker on repairs to NYCHA housing and New York City’s chronic delays on contract registration and payment.

Speaker Johnson had candid answers and had questions of his own. He asked, “Instead of planning in a piecemeal approach, how do we plan in a strategic, forward-thinking approach to New York City?” A key element to this kind of planning, he said, is trust. “If you don’t win the trust of the people, all long-term change will be impossible.” Real, forward-thinking change for New York depends on working together.

He thanked Greater NY partners for working together to build relationships across sectors. “New York is the greatest city in the world,” he said. “Not because of the buildings and geography, but because of the people who make NYC their home.”

“New York is the greatest city in the world. Not because of the buildings and geography, but because of the people who make
NYC their home.”

Corey Johnson is speaker of the NYC Council. He was first elected to the council as a member for the 3rd district in 2013. Five years later, he was elected speaker. He serves on the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections, and is a member of the LGBT, Progressive, and Irish Caucuses. Johnson previously served as chair of the Committee on Health, and was a member of the Contracts, Finance, General Welfare, Waterfronts and Mental Health, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services committees. He was also co-chair of the Manhattan Delegation to the City Council with Council Member Margaret Chin. In 2019 he assumed the role of acting public advocate. Johnson is a graduate of Masconomet Regional High School.

Greater NY holds quarterly breakfasts for its partners with speakers
from the public, private and nonprofit sectors