The media and money circles Johnson moves in overlap with each other and with mayoral initiatives.

Part of his job will be educating interest groups and ordinary citizens who are affected by certain mayoral initiatives.

In the end, the questions will boil down to two overriding concerns: Did city officials ignore rules because they were in a rush to start an important mayoral initiative?

And some residents see cultural insensitivity in a mayoral initiative that slapped down what some consider a local institution, no more threatening than any youth social club.

The third bill gave the Council a role in reviewing most mayoral initiatives to turn over city functions to private companies.

The Giuliani administration officials emphasized yesterday that it had previously proposed scaling back the comptroller's contract review, which they said at times unnecessarily delayed mayoral initiatives.

After several weeks, Mr. Green said, mayoral aides called back and said the food survey would be a "mayoral initiative."

Each would appoint members to several significant boards or commissions but would not have the ability to reshape or hold up mayoral initiatives that they now do.

The Council accepts most mayoral initiatives after making only minor adjustments.

The mayor has 2 of the 11 votes on the board, meaning it requires 6 of the 9 remaining votes -two-thirds - to defeat a mayoral initiative.