Bronx Politics, Criminal Justice and Courts

Council Member Gibson Announces $21.9 Million Budget Baselining

July 1, 2016 6:30 AM·

​Council Member Gibson Announces $21.9 Million Budget Baselining

On the sunny steps of the Bronx Court House Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson, joined by Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Richmond (SI) County District Attorney Mike McMahon and Bronx domestic violence service providers announced a win yesterday in the form of a baselined additional $21.9 million in funding for New York City’s prosecutors for the 2017 fiscal year.

The move came after a number of talks and negotiations with Mayor Bill DeBlasio, ultimately resulting in a bipartisan letter containing 37 signatures in support of increased funding for the finalized budget.

“We wanted to make sure that as a city and as an administration we recognize the value and the roles that our city’s prosecutors play in criminal justice reform,” Council Member Gibson, chairperson, Public Safety Committee, said of the increase.

Among other benefits for the district attorney offices across the city, the funding will provide Bronx County with a vertical integration system which proposes delegating every stage of the prosecution to a single assistant district attorney in order to eliminate delays and backlogs in trial cases, a Rikers Island prosecution bureau and a Conviction Integrity Unit to review past convictions and ensure the fairness of tried cases.

Reporting by Bronx Chronicle staff reporter, Koi Germany. 

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Author: Michael Benjamin is a public affairs consultant and an editorial board member at The New York Post. He is a former contributing columnist to the NY Post, City and State NY and other publications. He is a former Member of the New York State Assembly (2003-2010) and once led the Bronx Board of Elections. Since leaving office, he has appeared as a commentator on TWC NY1, Bronxnet OPEN, Good Day NY, and Al Jazeera America. His columns and blog focus on corruption, government, education, politics, redistricting, nuclear energy and race. He holds a B.A. in political science from Syracuse University.