Government of New York City

Government of the City of New York
Seal of New York City
FormationDecember 16, 1665; 358 years ago (1665-12-16)
City charterNew York City Charter
Websitenyc.gov
City-wide elected officials
Public AdvocateNew York City Public Advocate
ComptrollerNew York City Comptroller
Legislative branch
LegislatureNew York City Council
Meeting placeNew York City Hall
Executive branch
MayorNew York City Mayor
Appointed byElection
DepartmentsSee List of New York City agencies
Judicial branch
SeatNew York City Hall

The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for the administration of city government. The New York City Council is a unicameral body consisting of 51 members, each elected from a geographic district, normally for four-year terms. Primary elections for local offices use ranked choice voting, while general elections use plurality voting.[1] All elected officials[2] are subject to a two consecutive-term limit.[3] The court system consists of two citywide courts and three statewide courts.

New York City's government employs approximately 330,000 people,[4] more than any other city in the United States and more than any U.S. state but three: California, Texas, and New York.[5] The city government is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, and welfare services.[6]

New York City consists of five boroughs, each coextensive with one of five counties of New York State: Brooklyn is Kings County, the Bronx is Bronx County, Manhattan is New York County, Queens is Queens County, and Staten Island is Richmond County. When New York City was consolidated into its present form in 1898, all previous town and county governments within it were abolished in favor of the present five boroughs and a unified, centralized city government.[7] However, each county retains its own district attorney to prosecute crimes, and most of the court system is organized around the counties.

New York City is divided between two federal judicial districts. Bronx County and New York County are in the Southern District while Kings County, Queens County, and Richmond County are in the Eastern District, although both districts have concurrent jurisdiction over the waters in their respective districts.[8]

  1. ^ "Ranked choice voting | NYC Board of Elections". vote.nyc. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  2. ^ Hernández, Javier (November 3, 2010). "Once Again, City Voters Approve Term Limits". The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  3. ^ "Is Term Limit Vote a Big Smack at Mayor? – New York Daily News". New York. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Growth of NYC Employee Headcount | CBCNY". cbcny.org. 2020-05-18. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  5. ^ Schmitt, John. "Wage Penalty" (PDF). cepr.net.
  6. ^ "New York City Charter" (PDF). City of New York. July 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  7. ^ Local Government Handbook (PDF) (6th ed.). New York State Department of State. 2009. p. 56. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2014-12-03.
  8. ^ 28 U.S.C. § 112.