The New York City Council is still considering an amendment to a long-standing requirement in the City Charter. The proposed legislation would eliminate the current requirement that the commissioner of the Department of Buildings (DOB) be a licensed professional engineer or a registered architect. On May 19, 2008, the Met Section sent a letter to the New York City Council listing several points in opposition to that bill, which is designated as Intro. 775. Recently, an amended version of the draft bill has been submitted to the City Council. The amended bill, Intro. 775A, requires that either the commissioner or the first deputy commissioner to be a licensed engineer or architect.

The amended version, however, will likely result in the licensed professional holding only a deputy position and does not address the Met Section's concerns with the prior version. The DOB Commissioner needs to be a qualified licensed professional with the proper education and experience to make critical decisions related to the safety of the built environment. Without such a requirement, there is a risk that an unqualified individual, who is not bound by any standards of ethical or professional conduct, will be chosen for this important position because of their political contacts and not their professional experience. There is still time to contact local council members and bring these issues to their attention. Here is a list of key Council Members:

1. Speaker Christine Quinn, (212) 564-7757
Government Operations Committee Members (sponsors of the bill on behalf of the Mayor)
2. Simcha Felder (Chair of Government Operations Committee), (718) 853-2704
3. Inez E. Dickens, either (212) 678-4505 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7397
4. Erik Martin Dilan (Member of the Committee and Brooklyn Delegation Leader), either (718) 642-8664 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7284
5. Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., either (718) 373-9673 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7045
6. Larry B. Seabrook, either (718) 994-9900 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-6873
7. Peter F. Vallone, Jr., either (718) 274-4500 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-6963
8. Helen Sears, either (718) 803-9832 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7066
9. Kendall Stewart, either (718) 951-8177 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-6859
Delegation Leaders
8. Leroy Comrie (Queens), either (718) 776-3700 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7084
9. Gale Brewer (Manhattan co-leader), Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-6975
10. Daniel Garodnick (Manhattan co-leader), either (212) 818-0580 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7393
11. Maria Baez (Bronx), either (718) 294-3950 or Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7074
12. James Oddo (Staten Island), Legislative Office Phone (212) 788-7159