Brooklynites looking to make a difference in their neighborhoods are in luck, as you have seven more days to apply to join your local community board.
Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn Borough President, announced that the application deadline would be extended until February 23, giving concerned citizens a little more time to join the civic panels.
Community Board membership is an entry-level local government position, with little to no prerequisites — only a passion for helping your neighbors and your neighborhood.
Applicants are not required to have any prior governmental experience or connections. Instead, they are only asked to be 16 years or older and to have a link to the community district they would be serving in. This requirement is put in place to ensure better representation of the actual community.
“The applications we receive help us understand Brooklyn’s priorities and needs,” said Reynoso, “Last year, we made history-making investments in our public hospitals to address the maternal mortality crisis in our borough, and this year, we’re gearing up to spread that love and support all across Brooklyn.”
Joining a community board is a simple process that includes interviews and written applications. The final decision and appointment of community board members is made by the borough president, along with the local council member representing the area.
There are 59 total boards, 18 of them in Brooklyn, and each is designated to a community district of up to 250,000 people.
Community boards consist of a small paid staff, along with up to 50 unpaid members who are all connected to the community in some capacity.
The panels are tasked with discussing issues regarding improvements to community districts regarding education, transportation, health, land, and public safety.
Full board meetings are held monthly to consider these subjects and are open to the public. The goal of these discussions is to consider and vote on issues in the community district.
When a vote has been cast, it is released to the public, agencies and elected leaders as recommendations.
Despite community boards’ power being restricted to that of providing advice or guidance, which can technically be ignored, their recommendations are often taken into serious consideration by city leaders.
Additionally, board members have a lot of informal power through institutional knowledge as well as access to the first rung on the governmental ladder at this grassroots level.
A practical way that community board members are able to make a change in their district is through assisting in advising the distribution of the capital budget.
“We’ve got to get the word out that funding is available to our city agencies, public schools, nonprofits, and cultural institutions that have exciting projects in mind to benefit Brooklynites,” said Reynoso.
Capital funding is meant for allocation to areas of the borough that need improvement, and the deadlines for requesting funding are approaching.
On February 23, the application to request funding from the borough president will close, and on March 23, the deadline arrives for submitting a request only for City Council and/or New York Department of Cultural Affairs funding.
“If you or anyone you know has a project that might be eligible for capital or discretionary funding, now is the time to see what the Office of the Borough President can do for you,” Reynoso said.
Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.
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