Over six months, from September 2025 to March 2026, Local Progress Impact Lab’s Collaborative Governance Lab (CGL) successfully convened New York City Council Members, staff, and partners to strengthen relationships, deepen governing skills, and strengthen the infrastructure necessary for collaborative and effective governance.
The cohort included a mix of five returning and five new Council Members. This mix of experiences created a powerful group dynamic in which returning members helped ground newer colleagues in how City Hall functions in practice, sharing lessons from prior legislative cycles, explaining informal processes, and offering insight into how to navigate institutional dynamics. In doing so, they helped accelerate learning and build trust across experience levels.
The CGL included deep dives into skills such as Navigating Federal Attacks: Strengthening NYC’s response, Rules & Budget: Culture, People, Practice, and Communications & Community. As the program progressed, participants increasingly focused on how local governments can respond to escalating crises and political threats. Whether responding to concerns about immigration enforcement, community safety, or housing instability, Council Members and staff focused on what it means to coordinate quickly and effectively under pressure. These discussions emphasized the importance of communication infrastructure, neighborhood-based networks, and rapid alignment across offices and partners when communities are facing urgent challenges.
A major focus of the Collaborative Governance Lab was helping Council Members build alignment around shared legislative priorities. Council Members engaged in collaborative strategy sessions focused on key policy areas including housing, public safety, and civil rights. These conversations were not just about individual bills or initiatives, but about building shared direction heading into a new Council cycle. The emphasis throughout was on coordination, ensuring that strategy, messaging, and legislative work reinforce one another across the Council.
The Collaborative Governance Lab demonstrated the power of bringing elected officials,staff and partners together to build relationships, strengthen governing skills, and align around shared priorities. By creating space for strategic coordination and peer learning, Local Progress New York helped lay the foundation for more collaborative, effective, and values-driven governance across New York City.
The second NYC CGL Cohort participants:
- Kayla Santouosso, District 47
- Harvey D. Epstein, District 2
- Shanel Thomas Henry, District 21
- Elsie Encarnacion, District 8
- Justin Sanchez, District 17
- Tiffany Caban, District 22
- Crystal Hudson, District 35
- Althea Stevens, District 16
- Alexa Aviles, District 38
- Jennifer Gutierrez, District 34