Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee will identify in-house solutions and legislative fixes to city’s outdated, cumbersome hiring system

NEW YORK – Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with organized labor unions to revitalize the civil service system and speed up hiring for jobs in city government.

The Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee is comprised of government and labor partners and will prioritize both in-house solutions and legislative recommendations to improve the civil service system.

DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei will chair the committee, with DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido serving as vice-chair. Committee members include:

• Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson
• Office of Labor Relations (OLR) Commissioner Renee Campion
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Sherif Soliman
• Law Department Corporation Counsel Steve Banks
• Chief Counsel Ramzi Kassem
• Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Erin Dalton
• CWA Local 1180 President Gloria Middleton
• SEIU Local 246 President Joseph A. Colangelo
• SSEU Local 371 President Anthony Wells
• COBA President Benny Boscio Jr.

“It should be easy, fast and fair to find a good-paying job serving the city we call home,” said Mayor Mamdani. “In this historic partnership with labor leaders, our administration is prioritizing the quick fixes and long-term solutions that speed up hiring in city government. From addressing the current time to hire to advancing new and innovative testing strategies, this committee is already at work coming up with ideas to build a civil service system truly worthy of our city.”

“The civil service system is a foundational component of municipal work, and after over a hundred years, it is time to update,” said DCAS Commissioner Kitasei. “Through our first-ever modernization committee, we’ll be working with partners from across the city to make the civil service system faster, more transparent, easier for workers to navigate and aligned with the 21st-century workforce and operational needs.”

“A strong, efficient civil service system is vital to both our municipal workforce and the New York City residents who rely on city services every day,” said OLR Commissioner Renee Campion. “By partnering closely with our labor leaders, we can cut through administrative hurdles and build a faster, more modern hiring framework. This committee is a crucial step forward in ensuring we continue to attract and retain the dedicated talent our city deserves.”

The New York City civil service system, administered by DCAS, promotes fair, merit-based hiring and promotion, creates career pathways for job seekers and employees and provides important legal protections for the workforce.

Though New York was the first state to adopt a civil service system in 1883, the system suffers from outdated technology, burdensome administrative processes, lengthy timelines and fragmented responsibility across agencies — limiting its ability to meet today’s needs.

The Civil Service Modernization Committee will put forth recommendations for in-house solutions and legislative actions to create a hiring system that is fast, transparent and modern. Key priorities include:

• Fast and high-quality process: Faster ways to hire qualified talent while still ensuring a system of integrity.
• Transparent and trustworthy: A fair, merit-based, easy-to-navigate system that attracts top talent.
• Clear pathways: Easy access to city service opportunities and career advancement.
• Modern tech systems: A digital interface that meets the demands of the 21st-century and allows for seamless navigation for city workers and agencies alike.

Since taking office, the Mamdani administration has prioritized connecting New Yorkers with job opportunities in city government. In July, Mayor Mamdani announced free civil service exams for New York City high school students and first-time test takers. In August, DCAS doubled the Civil Service Pathways Fellowship, creating a direct pathway from college to city government careers for 400 New Yorkers. And just last month, the Mayor opened the Jobs NYC Center, a walk-in hub connecting New Yorkers to good-paying jobs in public service.

The administration has also advanced new and expanded programs to increase opportunities and improve daily life for current city workers. Mayor Mamdani opened The Little Apple, the city’s first free child care center for municipal employees and their families and launched the city’s first undergraduate scholarship program for city workers.

The City of New York employs one of the largest workforces in the nation, with more than 300,000 employees; approximately 80% of positions are typically filled through the civil service system via an exam. This includes positions like sanitation worker, electrician, caseworker and staff analyst. DCAS administers about 175 exams per year.

“The civil service system levels the playing field for entry into the public sector and ensures candidates have the baseline knowledge and skills to perform the job,” said Henry Garrido, Executive Director of DC 37. “A well-trained, well-qualified workforce is essential to providing efficient services for New Yorkers.”  

“This task force gives us a chance to explore ways of improving and strengthening the civil service process and system,” said Anthony Wells, President of SSEU Local 371. “The Civil Service system has provided an even playing field and pathway to government service, and I look forward to participating in the task force.”

“As a veteran civil servant, working in the New York City Department of Correction for nearly thirty years, and as a proud union president for over six years, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the DCAS civil service task force,” said Benny Boscio Jr., President of COBA. “I look forward to collaborating with my union colleagues to examine ways to revamp and potentially enhance the civil service hiring process so the City of New York can continue to hire the best-qualified men and women to serve as essential civil servants.”

“I look forward to participating in the newly created committee, working with my fellow labor leaders and DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei’s team to modernize and improve the civil service exam process,” said Joseph A. Colangelo, President of SEIU Local 246. “Since the establishment of the New York City Municipal Civil Service Commission in 1884, this process has given thousands of New Yorkers rewarding careers serving the citizens of this great city.”

“I am honored to serve on the Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee and to have the opportunity to bring the voices and experiences of our members directly to the table,” said Gloria Middleton, President of CWA Local 1180. “The civil service system has a tremendous impact on our members’ careers, from hiring and promotions to advancement opportunities and workplace protections. As the city looks at ways to strengthen and improve that system, it is critical that the workers who navigate it every day are part of the conversation. I look forward to working with the task force to help identify meaningful changes that make civil service more responsive, equitable and effective while protecting the merit-based system that public employees depend on.”

“Civil service is one of the great democratic promises of government, but a promise only matters if people can reach it,” said State Senator Robert Jackson, Chair of the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee. “Modernization means opening the doors of public service wider, shortening the distance between talent and opportunity and moving qualified New Yorkers through the system faster without sacrificing the merit and fairness at its foundation. I commend Mayor Mamdani, Commissioner Kitasei, DC 37 and labor leaders for bringing government and workers together to build a civil service prepared for the New York of tomorrow.”

“As Chair of the NYC Council Civil Service and Labor Committee, I am committed to improving our city’s workforce pathways and modernizing our civil service system,” said Council Member Shirley Aldebol. “The new Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee is a massive step forward in these efforts. By bringing together a diverse coalition of experts across government and labor from the start, this committee effort has the real potential to break through the roadblocks that halted past efforts. Throughout my career, I have experienced the challenges facing our city workforce system from all angles — first as a city social worker, then as a union organizer and now as an elected official. I know firsthand the tangible impacts of long-term vacancies, slow hiring timelines and high turnover on city workers and services. I am grateful to Mayor Mamdani, DCAS Commissioner Kitasei, DC37 Executive Director Henry Garrido and all other partners for their readiness to tackle the challenges facing our city’s municipal workforce systems head-on. I look forward to working in partnership with the coalition moving forward.”

“Municipal employees are the backbone of our city, and we must foster opportunities in our efforts to hire and retain a diverse workforce,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “As the former Civil Service and Labor Chair at the Council, our committee spent years tracking and raising alarm over double-digit vacancies that plagued our agencies and impacted services to New Yorkers. Our public sector needs to be that beacon of opportunity and upward mobility once again, and waiving fees for first-time applicants under Local Law 57 of 2025 removes barriers to entry. People want work, meaningful work, so they can afford to live and have secure employment that isn’t at the mercy of mass corporate layoffs. Why not make it easier to serve the greatest city in the world?”

“As many New Yorkers have long known, a career in the civil service has many advantages – not only do career civil servants work on behalf of their neighbors, but they reap the rewards as well, thanks to benefits and job security that have been hallmarks of the civil service for decades. That said, it’s not always easy to find out about, apply for and get a job with a city agency, which makes the new Civil Service Modernization Advisory Committee so important, as this country’s economy, like the world’s, is in the midst of transformation. I look forward to learning the committee’s eventual legislative recommendations that I hope will help make the civil service an even more appealing career, as well as encouraging excellence that will benefit all of the city’s residents,” said Assemblyman William Colton (D — Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights).

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Contact:
Dan Kastanis
Senior Communications Advisor, Public Affairs, DCAS
communications@dcas.nyc.gov