Novice City Council members still don’t know what they’re doing

It took six months in office for members of the City Council freshman class to admit they really don’t know what they’re doing.

An e-mail obtained by The Post shows that some of the 21 novice legislators expressed befuddlement over the rules governing the so-called “stated” meetings — which have been held at least twice a month since January.

Despite having attended 15 of the sessions and received days-worth of orientation sessions, the newbies are scheduled for a first-of-its-kind group lesson on the workings of government during a “mock” Council session on Wednesday afternoon.

“At the request of several freshmen Council Members, [we] will be holding a mock stated meeting along with a brief history of the council to more clearly explain the order and procedures which are followed at the stated meetings pursuant to law and council rule,” reads an email sent by the body’s senior director of community engagement, Karina Claudio Betancourt.

The training is being run by Gary Altman, counsel to Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, in the committee room at City Hall, according to the email.

Council officials noted that the unusual mid-term session isn’t just for new members, but also for their staffs and interns who might be less familiar with the rules.

They said the main focus of the mock meeting will be on procedure – in part because some of the rules were recently changed in a reform effort – but will also include a historical review of the Council and its powers.

“Like most legislative bodies, including the US House of Representatives, the Council sometimes offers refreshers for members, staff and interns on parliamentary procedure for stated meetings,” said speaker’s office spokesman, Eric Koch.

“With rules reform happening just a few months ago, this is an opportunity to help make the Council’s already efficient meetings run even better.”

The bi-monthly stated meetings are where the full Council votes on legislation, the budget and land-use items, and where individual members can introduce bills.

When asked about the remediation for rookies, some of the first-year electeds downplayed the need for a refresher — but said that more information can’t hurt.

“It’s always helpful. I’m somewhat of a parliamentarian coming from my background in labor… but it’s always necessary to understand the rules of engagement,” said I. Daneek Miller (D-Brooklyn), a former union leader for MTA bus workers in Queens.

“That being said, we’ve already completed an entire legislative session,” he added.

Fellow freshman Laurie Cumbo (D-Brooklyn) said as a former director of a non-profit, she’d attended her fair share of stated meetings even before being elected.

But Cumbo said the training is likely to benefit even the most experienced of the new members.

“The same course can be taught by 10 different people and each time you would learn something new,” she said.

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