In 1989 the supreme court declared the government of the City of New York unconstitutional. It was a controversy over the Board of Estimate which then ruled the City.
The ruling, in “Board of Estimate City of New York v Morris” was based on the grounds that the more populous boroughs, such as Brooklyn, had no more effective representation on the Board of Estimate than boroughs with smaller populations. The City of New York was in violation of the one man-one vote principle.
The Borough Presidencies of the five Boroughs had considerable power and influence under the old Board of Estimate system. After the Board of Estimate was dissolved, and replaced by the New York City Council, there was little left for the Borough Presidents to do
More info: www.ManhattanLP.org
