🔴 LIVE: New Appointments to City Planning Commission and Board of Corrections

The New York City Council Committee on Rules, Privileges, Elections, Standards, and Ethics held an appointments hearing on November 9, 2026, considering Martha King for a Council-appointed seat on the Board of Correction and Anthony Cromwell, Kenneth Knuckles, Julie Stein, Margaret Anadu, and Manakshi Srinivasan for City Planning Commission appointments or reappointments. King discussed independent jail oversight, death investigations, compliance monitoring, staffing and operational shortcomings, borough-based jail delays and escalating costs, and alternatives to solitary confinement. The City Planning Commission nominees addressed affordable-housing production, zoning and land-use review, infrastructure needs, environmental review, community participation, and the effects of recent charter changes to the review process. No procurement actions, contract awards, or spending approvals were identified; the committee closed the hearing without a recorded vote on the appointments.

Commissioner questioning focused on pairing housing growth with infrastructure such as schools, water and sewer capacity, transit, open space, and cultural facilities; the role of community benefits agreements; and how community boards and council members’ input should be considered. Several nominees supported comprehensive planning and early community engagement while noting that the commission’s role is distinct from negotiating community benefits. The hearing also covered affordable-housing financing and affordability levels, historic districts, environmental justice, and the need for reliable data and public accountability in correctional oversight.