Team Tish: Frequently Asked Questions

As one might imagine, we get alot of daily calls* over here at Council Member James' City Hall office, and many more at the District Office. A surprising number of calls regard public information (hearings schedule, etc.), who should be contacted in our office for different matters, etc. So, we thought it might be helpful if we did a small "FAQ" and answers post.

What is the best way to contact your office?

You may contact our office a number of different ways. All are effective, but some may result in us getting back to you a bit later. If you know the person you want to speak to, you should call or email that individual directly. Our (amazing) scheduler works from the District Office, handles incoming calls and faxes, and will be able to direct you to who you need to speak to, and an intern (and staff member) is always at the City Hall office to do the same.**

If you’re interested in setting up a meeting or sending an invitation to an event, we may get back to you a bit later than if you’re calling with an immediate issue.

Snail mail should be sent 3 weeks-1 month in advance, and it is not the best method for constituents seeking immediate help. We encourage large packages, statements, etc. to be sent in this method in the interest of saving resources and embracing the green.

Where can I get information on the Council hearings? Who is my Council Member? What is the status of this bill?

The New York City Council website has all of this information readily available for the public. A new schedule is put up every month including the dates and times of committee hearings. You can enter your home address and borough to find out who your Council Member is (a link to that can be found at Tish’s website- www.letitiajames.info -click the “Who Represents Me?” picture link on the far side of the home screen).

The City Council website also allows you to view legislation in the Council, and the status on that legislation (although additional information on legislation is not made available; you must contact your Council Member for that information).

I have an idea!…

Great! We love ideas! If it’s a legislative idea- please email it to me at aworthydavis@council.nyc.gov. If you’re unsure of who you should be contacting, it’s best to email Council Member James directly (click the "Contact" link on the far side of the screen at www.letitiajames.info) so that your idea can be forwarded to the person best equipped to work on it.

Hope that answers some people's questions! Have a great weekend!

*The link is to our original Staff blog (we originally had a number of different blogs updating information on different areas of interest). Now, all information relevant to residents of the 35th District and media can be found here on the Team Tish blog.

**TeamTish@gmail.com is an email address that was set up to take-in information that residents may want to post on the blog. For instance, if you want to let everyone know that your apartment is up for rent, or to look out for your lost dog, but don’t want to be contacted directly; we’ll ask that people who read the post follow-up with us at TeamTish@gmail.com(and, of course, we’ll forward to responses to you).

Please be aware that we try very hard to post about different things (what’s going on at City Hall, in the community, public events, and other things), but we’re probably not going to do a wealth of lost-dog posts.