City councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents District 26, was appointed as the chairman of the Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations Committee last week.
Van Bramer, who works on behalf of Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City residents, was also named by Council Speaker Christine Quinn as a member of an array of other committees. They are: Finance; General Welfare; Health; Parks & Recreation; Lower Manhattan Redevelopment; and Transportation.
The Cultural Affairs committee’s main function is to promote New York City. It works with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Libraries, Museums and the NYC Commission for the United Nations.
The chairmanship is a sign of Van Bramer’s strong relationship with Quinn. The majority of freshmen council members were not appointed to a chairmanship role.
Van Bramer, who was the chief external affairs office of the Queens Public Library before being elected in November, will have his work cut out. The mayor’s office has been cutting the budget on city libraries in recent years and there is little sign that these cuts will abate.
He will be sitting on the Transportation committee at a time when the MTA is cutting service, which includes the Number 7 train. Furthermore, he will be on the Finance committee as the city continues to clip the budget.
As a member of the Finance committee, he will get a say on the amount of city funds that will be allotted to each city agency.
Jimmy Van Bramer
(Note: Image no longer available, May 2020)
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