In an effort to do so we have sent out our letter to the Commission to Community Boards in Brooklyn and Manhattan in order to illicit feedback, criticism and advice on how to construct more independent and effective community boards. We have met with Manhattan Borough President Stringer to discuss his Community Board plan and have had conversations with some veteran district managers, who I am eternally grateful to for taking the time out of their busy schedules to provide us with their expertise on the subject.

In our first testimony before the Charter Revision Commission we stated that ” Board Members should not fear reprisals or ouster from any board for disagreement on policy issues between either other members of the board or with elected officials or the borough president, as they sometimes do now. The current structure discourages citizen participation and hurts the credibility of community boards in general.” We further advocated that community boards should have a guaranteed budget and given technical assistance to assist them in serving their catchment areas.

Common Cause/New York would like to reiterate our support for Community Boards, especially their uniqueness in that they are one of the only offices to have as its mandate to act as a vehicle for citizens to engage their local government and increase participation in the legislative process by empowering residents to stay informed and pose recommendations on a broad range of pressing issues affecting their communities.

I welcome any feedback on this issue and look forward to a continuing dialogue with the Charter Revision Commission and Community Board members and advocates on this topic.

I would also like to once again thank the authors of this article for providing a forum to engage individuals in this extremely important conversation about our city government.

Thank you,

Deanna Bitetti, Associate Director
Common Cause/New York