City Hall has become a fortress of insiders, lobbyists, and self-dealing. We must tear down that wall. In its place, we will build a City Hall that is radically open, fiercely accountable, and physically present in every borough. We will shine a light so bright that corruption has nowhere to hide. Drawing on New York grit and international best practices, my administration will institute a sweeping anti-corruption, anti-lobbyist, pro-people agenda to restore trust and equity in city governance.
The Problem: An Unequal Table
Right now, if you’re a corporate lobbyist, you get a backdoor pass to City Hall. If you’re a working parent from the Bronx or a small business owner in Flatbush, you wait in line—if you’re even invited in. Influence shouldn’t be about who you know. Government is supposed to work for everyone, not just the well-connected. That ends on day one of my administration.
Core Reforms
1. Break the Back of Special Interests
Lobbyist Transparency Database: We will replace the confusing and opaque system for lobbying transparency. Inspired by Helsinki, we will launch an open, searchable public database of every meeting between city officials and registered lobbyists.
Time, place, participants, and topic—all published within 48 hours.
Equal Time Rule: For every hour a city official meets with a lobbyist, they must match that time with constituents. That’s not a suggestion—that’s policy.
Lobbyist Blackout Zones: Major procurement and land use decisions will come with a mandatory blackout period where no lobbying is permitted—just public comment and deliberation.
2. Radical Transparency = Real Democracy
“Open City Hall” Digital Dashboard: Modeled after Reykjavik’s “Better Reykjavik,” New Yorkers will be able to submit and vote on policy proposals online. The top proposals each quarter will be publicly debated and considered by the administration.
Open Performance Metrics: Every city agency’s key performance indicators will be made publicly available and updated monthly. If sanitation misses pickups or NYCHA fails to fix boilers—everyone will know, immediately. And this will extend to my own programs: New Yorkers will get real-time data—and all the data—on whether key programs are working.
3. “Satellite City Halls” — Government in Every Borough
Satellite Mayor’s Office: I will establish offices in all boroughs, located in underserved, high-crime neighborhoods—starting in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and Mott Haven, Bronx.
Constituent Office Hours: In these satellite offices, I will make time for direct meetings with constituents—not just community leaders but all New Yorkers. And it will be me, not a collection of staffers. If you’ve got a problem, I’ve got time for you.
Local Accountability Boards: Each satellite office will host a quarterly public forum with me and key agency heads, so New Yorkers can question, challenge, and direct their government face-to-face.
A Culture of Ethical Public Service
Every city employee, from commissioners to clerks, will be held to the highest ethical standards—with mandatory training in transparency, fairness, and anti-corruption.
Violation of these ethics rules will have consequences. The tone from the top will be clear: we have zero tolerance for unethical behavior. This is critical to rebuilding a culture of ethical service in public office.
Conclusion: One City, One Standard
In my administration, there will be no VIP entrance to City Hall. Whether you’re a hedge fund manager or a home-health aide, you’ll have the same access, the same voice, the same seat at the table. We don’t need to invent a new moral compass—I have the courage and patience to follow the one I have.
Let’s tear down the wall of special interests and build a City Hall that belongs to every New Yorker.
Jim Walden,
Candidate for Mayor
