City Council GOP's pro-Sliwa statement may run afoul of City Charter

The New York City Council Minority Delegation on Wednesday (unsurprisingly) endorsed Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa in the general election – which it is not allowed to do.

While individual council members are able to make endorsements, they cannot do so in the official capacity of their elected offices, according to Chapter 68 of the City Charter and previous Conflicts of Interest Board decisions.

Minority Leader Joann Ariola posted a statement to X voicing the caucus’ support for Sliwa, doing so on council letterhead.

“For too long, we’ve watched this city fall deeper under the grip of a one-party machine. A five-way race like this is our opportunity to break through,” the letter reads.

It continues further down: “The Adams administration wants you to think Zohran Mamdani represents a drastic change from the status quo that has already destroyed our city. In reality it’s just going from the frying pan to the fire.”

Asked about the ethical concerns raised by the endorsement, Ariola told City & State in a statement, “New York State rules on political communication fall under the rubric of expressed advocacy. There is no expressed advocacy here, since no one was asked to vote for or against anyone.”

At one point, the letter says, “Some might say voting for Curtis is a gamble, but what exactly do we have to lose? We already know what the other candidates offer: more of the same.” And later: “Curtis has shown us who he is, flaws and all. … Let’s give Curtis the chance to fight for us the way he always has.”

Thanking the caucus for its support, Sliwa referred to the letter as an “endorsement,” though the delegation noticeably called it a “statement.”

“I’m honored to have the full support of the New York City Council Republican delegation in this historic race for mayor,” he wrote on X on Wednesday night. “With this endorsement, we are building the kind of citywide coalition it will take to win on November 4th, defeat Zohran Mamdani, and finally bring common sense and real leadership back to this city.”

The move was a show of unity for the caucus that has endured moments of dysfunction and division as of late, particularly over who would become minority leader after former Council Member Joe Borelli stepped down in January.

Groups of elected officials can collectively endorse a candidate. The council’s Progressive Caucus has a political arm, the Progressive Caucus Alliance, to avoid conflicts with city law.

Were there to be any repercussions for the possible violation, the matter would need to be reported to the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board, which would then evaluate whether it is a violation before potentially referring it back to the council Committee on Standards and Ethics. It’s not clear whether the council would take immediate action on the matter, a council source said.