By Lance Jay Brown, FAIA December is always a bittersweet time at AIANY as we officially say goodbye to a chapter president and welcome a new person to serve in that role for the coming year. We were incredibly lucky to have had Jill Lerner, FAIA, serve as our 2013 president. Jill is a committed advocate for our organization and members and helped us make important headway with our city's new leaders. It is a privilege to succeed her and I look forward to sharing more in upcoming communications about my 2014 presidential theme, Civic Spirit: Civic Vision, which will illuminate the role of design in the creation of the public realm. In December, we also had significant success as the city council passed a final version of a bill that changes lobbying regulations. Because of AIANY's advocacy efforts, several exemptions were made for architects. These include: 1. The maximum amount of lobbying expenses for architects before needing to register as lobbyists is now $10,000, which is much higher than the current $2,000 threshold. 2. Working as a contractor for a city agency on a capital project is no longer considered lobbying. 3. Appearances before the community board for adjudicatory proceedings, such as the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Board of Standards and Appeals applications, are no longer considered lobbying. 4. The city clerk is tasked to create a definition of "minor projects" which would not count towards the lobbying cap. 5. All design work for use at presentations is not considered a lobbying activity. Because the bill leaves some decision making up to the city clerk, there are still opportunities for AIANY to have further input on how lobbying regulations impact architects. We'll keep you posted on our work with the city clerk on this. When not working on lobbying reform, we've been focusing on the next administration. After being in contact with mayor-elect de Blasio and members of his transition team to ensure that they recognize the role design can play in creating a more unified and livable city, the chapter has been eagerly awaiting announcements of new appointments. Our executive director, Rick Bell, FAIA, and immediate past president, Jill Lerner, FAIA, recently spoke to Crain's about the new deputy mayor of housing and economic development, Alicia Glen. Rick and Jill stated that with experience in both the public and private sectors, Glen will bring the fiscal acumen and skills needed to bolster the city's affordable housing production. However, said Rick and Jill, Glen's position does not eliminate the need to concentrate on design and the coordination between agencies as outlined in our Platform for the Future of the City, which addresses pressing issues in the built environment that we believe should be considered by new city officials. I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to an exciting year ahead. Please visit the AIANY calendar to see the many AIANY 2014 exhibits and programs My very best wishes for 2014. Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, is the 2014 president of AIANY and a professor of Architecture at the City College of New York, New York, N.Y.