New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott momentarily balked at testifying at a City Council budget hearing after he was told he would be sworn in under oath.
At the start of a budet hearing in City Hall this morning, education committee chairman Robert Jackson said, "the administration … indicated they were not notified by us that they would be sworn in" and that the matter "has been resolved for this particular moment."
But the Harlem-based Democrat added, "Let me just say to the chancellor and their staff … every witness will be sworn in, henceforth."
A spokeswoman for the city Department of Education said Walcott responded to the request that he be sworn in by walking over to the mayor's office to consult with officials there.
"The hearing hadn’t started yet when DOE staff walked over to the Mayor’s office side," D.O.E. spokesman Erin Hughes wrote in an email to Capital. "Given that the City is in litigation on some issues that were expected to come up in the hearing, we had to check with counsel to ensure that the unusual process of taking oath wouldn’t pose a problem to those cases.
"It was an unusual request given that no administration official in 12 years has been asked to be sworn in."
Jackson co-chaired this morning's hearing with finance committee chairman Domenic Recchia Jr., of Brooklyn. After Jackson's opening remarks, Recchia greeted Walcott, who then began to read his opening statement. Walcott was not sworn in before he began speaking.
Another lawmaker at the hearing said Council members felt misled by Walcott's testimony at the last hearing, at which he spoke about the school bus strike, and wanted greater assurances about the accuracy of information coming from City Hall.
Some members of the Council have grumbled, quietly to reporters, that the Council has not exercised enough oversight of city agencies because of Speaker Christine Quinn's close working relationship with the mayor.
Later, when Walcott testified, he engaged in a heated exchange with City Councilwoman Letitia James after the Brooklyn lawmaker asked about school bus drivers who reportedly lost their jobs after that recent strike.
At one point Recchia had their microphones turned off and Jackson asked James and Walcott to take a 10-second breather to calm down.
James said she thought Walcott was "making fun" of the issue of bus drivers who lost their jobs.
Walcott replied, "Don't even try it."
Later, James said, "Most of those patrons look like you ... people of color, and you think that's something comical."
Walcott, visibly annoyed, said, "Oh, give me a break."
Recchia intervened shortly afterward.
From Betsy Combier: Make no mistake, Robert Jackson is part of the problem.
Why is it ok to accept the testimony of Dennis Walcott when he would not be placed under oath?
Schools boss Dennis Walcott says city lawyers told him not to testify on $25B education budget
Walcott was slated to speak before the City Council hearing over claims Education Chairman Robert Jackson made about the schools chancellor not being truthful about cost savings from bidding out school bus contracts.
LINKBY BEN CHAPMAN AND CORINNE LESTCH / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013, 10:11 PM
CRAIG WARGA/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said city attorneys told him not to testify before City Council over the education department's record $25 billion budget.
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Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said he was just following orders from city lawyers when he refused to testify under oath at Tuesday’s City Council hearing on next year’s record $25 billion education budget.
The swearing-in standoff started because Education Chairman Robert Jackson said he didn’t think Walcott was being truthful about cost savings from bidding out school bus contracts.
When Jackson tried to force Walcott to testify under oath, the schools boss consulted with his legal team and eventually refused. “I came prepared to talk about our budget, the largest budget in education history,” said Walcott. “I thought it was political grandstanding at its best.”
Jackson, who is running for Manhattan borough president, said he will require all speakers to be sworn in at education hearings.
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