By Gus Saltonstall
Applications to join Upper West Side Community Board 7 are open now through 5 p.m. on February 23.
Community boards throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens are looking for local residents interested in serving two-year terms.
“Your perspective, voice, and ideas make a real difference,” Upper West Side City Councilmember Gale Brewer wrote on social media. “By joining a community board, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a range of issues, from local development projects to citywide health initiatives.”
Applicants must live, work, or have an otherwise significant interest in the district served by the community board for which they are applying. Full-board meetings are held monthly, but committees meet more often.
Each year, the Manhattan Borough President appoints 300 members to the borough’s 12 community boards to serve two-year terms.
Questions on the application include how long you’ve lived in the community, what your primary housing is, if you own a vehicle, your employment, and how many other community organizations you take part in.
You can check out the application for yourself — HERE.
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I wonder why there’s a question on the application about whether or not a prospective member of the Community Board owns a vehicle. Is this a means test? Or a screening tactic to guess whether the member would be for or against car-related issues? Just seems odd.
Simple. Mark Gorton, funder of the anti-car movement, gives lots of money to politicians. Accordingly, Mark Levine, Manhattan BP and beneficiary, has decided that there shouldn’t be “disproportionate” representation of car owners on community boards.
Sounds like upwards of 300 people are appointed each year. You should apply.
It is a bit odd, but I assume it’s because they want a diversity of views since parking is such a contentious issue
They should ask about bicycles and electric scooters too.
Wondering….?
Why is Mark Diller still on CB 7 while working as District Manager of CB 2?
You have to be an NYC resident to be appointed to a community board, but not necessarily a resident of that community board. Debra Markell lives in Bayside which is in Queens CB7 and CB11 and is on Queens CB2 covering LIC.
Isn’t it kind of a conflict of interest for Mark Diller to be doing both?
What to know? They will only put on people that completely agree with them. Have a different point of view? Did you ever question them? Don’t even waste your time applying. How much more obvious can it be? It is the current administration that appoints them. Do you really think they will put someone on that challenges their progressive narratives? I don’t think so. Here’s to more of the same.
These positions should be elected. Simple as that.
As it stands they are mostly an echo chamber for the elected officials who appoint them