Exclusive: Greenfield temporarily loses council leadership role

During a meeting of the New York City Council leadership on Tuesday, City Councilman David Greenfield was stripped of his leadership role and his place on the budget negotiating team, multiple sources said.

The move turned out to be temporary, however. By Wednesday afternoon, Greenfield apparently had resumed his leadership roles.

Three sources independently told City & State earlier on Wednesday that Greenfield no longer had a place on the leadership slate and budget negotiation team. The sources had said they were unsure of why the Brooklyn councilman may have upset leaders, but it was suggested part of it may have come from his vocal opposition to a proposal that would have limited the number of authorized horse carriages and confined them to Central Park.

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito's office did not initially respond to a request for comment. After City & State published the news on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Mark-Viverito disputed the story, calling it "incorrect." 

"Council Member Greenfield is a valued member of both leadership and BNT," said Eric Koch, her spokesman. "The Speaker appreciates diversity in opinion on her leadership team."

Koch also asserted that Greenfield had never lost the position. Greenfield did not respond to several requests for comment.

The leadership team is an 11-member group convened by the speaker that includes the seven deputy leaders. Greenfield was not technically a deputy leader, according to budget documents. 

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Greenfield had been a deputy leader. In fact, he was a member of the Council's leadership team but technically he was never a deputy leader.