Your city council is the group of people who make decisions for – you guessed it – your city. It might be called a board of aldermen, selectmen, freeholders or trustees depending on where you live, but the basic job is the same: democratically elected to decide which services your city will offer and how you will pay for them, what sort of public spaces are created, whether your local gas station can have gaming machines, and so much more. It also oversees city agencies and does deep dives into all kinds of issues through its many committees, which range from zoning to land use to finance.
The mayor shares a lot of power with the council (or boards, etc) — and some cities have a strong or independent chief executive who can veto things that the council passes. In other places, the city manager takes on most of those responsibilities, while the council focuses on the legislative side of governing.
Corey Johnson, the current Speaker of NYC City Council, leads a majority-Democratic body, and his members are divided into caucuses that ensure the concerns of different communities are represented. One of those is the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, while others include a Common-Sense Caucus, Irish Caucus, Jewish Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus, and Women’s Caucus. In addition to hearing from constituents, the council also engages in an aggressive form of oversight, including the rare act of issuing subpoenas if they feel an administration is avoiding accountability.