Local government doesn’t get much more local than New York City’s 59 community boards.
They can be where ideas to improve neighborhoods are born. They can be where political careers are launched. And even if they don’t have a lot of statutory authority, the community board is as good an indicator as any on what locals feel about a given issue — specifically how the city’s precious space is being used or misused.
The volunteers who serve on the boards must be approved by each borough president, and get to meet directly with city agencies to draw attention to each neighborhood’s needs and recommend changes.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson recently joined WNYC’s Morning Edition host Michael Hill to discuss how the application process is changing, why people should join their local board and what to expect if they serve. The interview has been lightly edited.
Michael Hill: Good morning borough president. So New York City has 59 community districts across the five boroughs and each one is represented by a community board. Please tell us; what exactly does a community board do?
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson: Thank you for having me. Always great to have an opportunity to talk about our 12 amazing community boards in the Borough of the Bronx. Last year we paid particular attention to transforming the process by which residents can apply. So we made the application digital – online – and we introduced a second language.
So we have Spanish applications as well. And we really embarked on a robust, comprehensive plan to engage with high school students because the age to join is 16. We did extensive outreach within faith community based organizations. We talked to many of our community leaders about the importance of being a part of a community board.
It’s the most locally democratic process where you are engaging in your local community on land use issues, economic development, new schools, upgrades to parks, playgrounds, you know, everything that’s…
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