NYC City Council Overrides Mayor's Veto Of Housing Bills

NEW YORK CITY — City Council members voted Thursday to override Mayor Eric Adams' veto of a spate of housing bills, a dramatic action not seen since the days of Michael Bloomberg and one that could set up a court battle.

The override easily won by a 42 to 8 vote, during which Council Speaker Adrienne Adams lamented the split with the mayor over an issue as important as homelessness.

"The fact that we have to override a veto is incomprehensible to me... I proudly vote 'aye' on all," she said.

Eric Adams, who isn't related to the speaker, quickly released a statement that hinted the fight might not be over.

"We are reviewing our options and next steps," he said.

The dispute over the bills led to increasingly bitter bickering between the mayor and the Council in recent weeks.

The mayor had moved from wary skepticism over the bills to a forceful veto, in which he contended they would cost the city $17 billion without meaningfully tackling homelessness. He repeated that claim in his statement after the override, along with an argument that the bills would put New Yorkers in homeless shelters at the back of the line for housing vouchers.

Those arguments had already prompted City Council members this week to issue a red ink-festooned "fact check" of a recent Adams op-ed that rebutted nearly every one of his arguments, and laid the groundwork for their eventual override.

"The Administration has provided no explanation of its $17 billion five-year estimate," the Council fact check states.

"The Council sought to work with the Administration for many months in good faith, and they inexplicably failed to meaningfully negotiate or constructively engage on the bills that eventually passed."

.@NYCMayor’s recent op-ed on his veto of Council legislation to address homelessness through improved access to CityFHEPS vouchers makes many misleading claims. We released an annotated version that fact checks the Mayor’s claims with links to citations. https://t.co/jeNeBUdkXw pic.twitter.com/L9bEcoJo8q
— New York City Council (@NYCCouncil) July 12, 2023

As the override vote approached, it appeared that the bills had the support of many New Yorkers.

Council Member Pierina Sanchez teared up when she explained why she voted to override: "For everyone who has come into the office in tears, this is for you."

After the vote, advocacy organizations such as The Legal Aid Society and Win issued statements praising the Council.

"This package of bills will save the city hundreds of millions of dollars each year while preventing tens of thousands of New Yorkers from becoming homeless during the worst housing crisis our city has ever seen — it’s the definition of a win-win," said Christine Quinn, president and CEO of Win.

The override could lead to a court battle if Adams decides to sue to overturn the bills.

Indeed, Adams and his surrogates appear to have seeded the ground for a lawsuit as they argued that the bills exceed the Council's legal authority.