Carol Bellamy Speaks On Conflicting Duties Of Elected Officials

The American legislator must decide whether to advocate his own district or the greater interest as a whole," Carol Bellamy, president of the New York City Council, told an Institute of Politics study group yesterday.

"It's important to find a balance between service delivery and representation of the district," Bellamy said. She added legislators too frequently choose the "service delivery" route and only defer problems to the executive branch of government.

Bellamy added that legislators at the local level must stay accessible to their constituents to effectively represent them. "Too often people have the sense they can't touch politicians," she said.