Chair Lee Questions MOIA on Interagency Coordination

Because I know you have to go across a lot of different city agencies.

Yeah, I this is a great question.

I think it's actually a really important conversation that should be had, and it does, you know, I think that it deserves more nuance than sort of a like binary answer of like should Moya be an agency or not.

Um, you know, right now Moya's structure as an office, it does create certain limitations because we are, like you said, fundamentally a coordinating office rather than a standalone operational agency, um, and much of our work does uh require sustained partnership across city government.

But at the same time, I think that um there are some real strengths to the current structure that we should take into consideration.

Being housed within City Hall, for example, gives Moya the direct proximity to executive decision making on issues um related to immigrants and immigrant inclusion.

It really allows us to also elevate um our concerns as a citywide priority rather than being siloed um into a standalone agency.

But I say all this to say that you know, I think it's really important for me, and I'm glad you raised the question the the issue of input and engagement with advocates.

I think this is a conversation that needs to be had more broadly with other stakeholders to fully understand uh you know what will the impact be, in fact, if we were to transition into an agency or not.

And is there um are there regular meetings or task force groups or conversations?

I'm assuming the answer is yes, but if you could speak to that a little bit because um between Moya, HRA, DYCD, SBS, DOHMH, like there's a lot of agencies I feel like that you touch, right?

And so how has that been in terms of I mean the last few weeks?

Yeah.

Well, I mean, there is a long-standing inter-agency task force that Moya um is responsible for it in it brings to the table all 46 city agencies for the very purpose of making sure that we're sharing updates and information, you know, uh that can potentially impact immigrant New Yorkers.

Um so those those meetings happen quarterly, but I'll go a step further, you know, um and just tap into my organizing background.

It's really important for me as the leader of this office to also engage commissioners at at some of the leading agencies where immigrant New Yorkers seek services and make sure that we're building um across as commissioners as well.

And so I've been, you know, um focused on um having those meetings, having those conversations, and making sure that we're elevating those issues even outside of the interagency task force meetings.

Okay.