The new speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, yesterday rewarded almost all of the colleagues that supported her candidacy with plum committee assignments; she punished others who backed her main opponent.

During a council meeting at City Hall, the 51-member body voted to re-establish 35 council committees, three subcommittees, and seven leadership positions – all of which come with stipends and power.

The political musical chairs occurs every fours years after an election and is marked by much jockeying. Yesterday, council members who stuck with their county bosses to help elect Ms. Quinn or played a key role in her promotion came out on top.

Council Member James Sanders, a Democrat of Queens, paid the price for his independence. He was stripped of his post as chairman of the Economic Development Committee. That committee was given to a new member, Thomas White, who was hand-selected by the county establishment.

“If we were governed in the council as a true meritocracy, we would look at the contributions a person makes, the hours and the dedication and the job one does, and that would be the chief determinant for whether they stay or whether they go,” Mr. Sanders told reporters after the vote.

Inez Dickens, who had the backing of most of the African American political establishment in Harlem, was named chairwoman of the Standards and Ethics Committee. Some analysts said that was probably a thank you from Ms. Quinn to leaders in her community, such as Rep. Charles Rangel.

Although many of the committee assignments leaked out before yesterday’s meeting, there was still some 11th hour maneuvering by members who appealed to Ms. Quinn to change their assignments.

Several members publicly praised Ms. Quinn for piecing together a complicated puzzle of assignments; others, like Council Member Charles Barron, said party leaders have too much power. He did, however, hold onto his position as chairman of the committee on Higher Education.