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By Isha Banerjee and Manuela Silva

City Council confirmed District 7 Council member Shaun Abreu, CC ’14, as chair of the committee on sanitation and solid waste management and District 9 Council member Yusef Salaam as chair of the committee on public safety in a rules, privileges, and elections meeting on Thursday.

Abreu’s position was previously held by District 37 Council member Sandy Nurse, who will serve as chair of the committee on criminal justice. District 49 Council member Kamillah Hanks was chair of the public safety committee before Salaam and will chair the subcommittee on landmarks, public sitings, and dispositions.

The changes in committee membership come amid disputes between City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and various committee chairs. Nurse, among other council members who are losing or changing their position, voted against adopting a $107 billion budget for the 2024 fiscal year. Hanks told the New York Post that her change in position was due to “fundamental differences” with the speaker.

Abreu is currently in his second term as Council member for District 7 after winning reelection in November. Last year, Abreu partnered with the New York City Department of Sanitation and rolled out a trash containerization pilot program in District 7 to clean the streets and combat rat infestation, which the Department of Sanitation plans to deploy citywide this year.

In his position as chair of the sanitation committee, he hopes to further his efforts to clean up school zones and mitigate rat infestations.

“Today is a continuation of this vital work,” Abreu said in a press release following the announcement. “I am honored that Speaker Adams has entrusted me to lead the Committee on Sanitation and Waste Management. For far too long, we’ve asked New Yorkers to just accept that we live in a dirty city—with all the smells, litter, and pollution that come with it. I am getting right to work building clean, green, rodent-free communities where all New Yorkers can live with dignity and pride.”