End Days for Community Boards?
Brooklyn’s community boards probably won’t be accomplishing much of consequence over the next year, according to an article in today’s Daily News. Our borough’s 19 boards recently submitted requests to the city for things they’d like to see happen in fiscal year 2009, like a new sewer in Prospect Heights and a new police precinct…
Brooklyn’s community boards probably won’t be accomplishing much of consequence over the next year, according to an article in today’s Daily News. Our borough’s 19 boards recently submitted requests to the city for things they’d like to see happen in fiscal year 2009, like a new sewer in Prospect Heights and a new police precinct in Bushwick. The city has told most boards to keep dreaming, and it’s only committing to small measures like getting new printers for Bushwick’s firehouse. The city also plans to slash the already meager budgets community boards have to play with. “They’re basically sounding the death knell for community boards,” said CB1 District Manager Gerald Esposito. Is it true? Could we really be witnessing a slow sunsetting of community boards? And if that turns out to be the case, what’s going to replace their role?
Brooklyn Community Boards Expecting a Lean 2009 [NY Daily News]
CB6 Chief Talks Community Board Budget Cuts [Brownstoner]
Photo by Bryan Bruchman.
Our community board meetings(CB8) are well attended, and many of the people in the subcommittees, such as land use and other committees, really know their stuff. Most communities have a very small group of people who are very active in that community, and the CB’s are often the best way to bring an issue to the attention of the city gov’t. I find that CB members and attendees are also the people who are in other civic groups, and who go to local precinct meetings, etc. They are the watchdogs of the community, and some are pitbulls of tenacity and devotion to bettering the community.
Granted, there are also people who rubber stamp anything someone with an impressive pitch comes up with, or love the power, or are otherwise useless, in terms of real change and real work. But that is true of any organization, and is true of people, in general, since Moses tried to get a group together to leave Egypt.
Community Boards are a valuable conduit to a Manhattan-centric city gov’t, and are very necessary for real people power in this city.
Montrose Morris
good riddance
Some Community Boards are well run and effective in representing the interests of their residents. Community Board 14 is an example of such. Examples of their work include the institution of midnight to 2AM stret cleaning regulations on commercial streets, major changes to the TA’s station modernization program, the downzoning of Midwood, and at long last the City acquisition of a site for a new 70th Precinct.
I guess that thanks to term limits, there is at least some hope that members of the City Council actually represent their community, making a whole additional set of officials unnecessary.
I find the first three comments gross generalizations. Not to mention the fact that sometimes people need to separate what the volunteer board and the paid office staff do, respectively. That said, community boards are mandated by the New York City Charter. Sure, if you cripple them financially, then what they choose to / are able to do will need to change. But short of a charter revision, community boards will continue to operate.
if the city gets rid of community boards then something else will take their place
With the death of community boards, there is one fewer level through which to be heard by city government. My City Council district has 150,000 people in it. How can my voice be heard?
Related, where are the channels for baby politicians? It used to be that there was a ladder, but right now the entry level political race is City Council.
Community Boards should be fixed rather than killed.
Sadly, I agree with guest #1. Specifically, in my experience, CB9 has done nothing but impede the community’s efforts to do anything good for our neighborhood. They are extremely out of touch with the needs of our area, and are quite nasty and skeptical when approached with a proposal.
I can only hope that community boards will be phased out. They seem to accomplish little, if anything, of value and, at least in gentrifying areas, are comprised of senior citizen NIMBYs who hate any and every new business and residential development.
Spend the money on more worthwhile things, like giving Bruce Ratner more $$$ 🙂