4 Reasons to join your Community Board

What it’s like to be a local policy influencer

Hot takes are my own and not the views of Manhattan Community Board 5.

This time last year, I applied to serve on my Community Board. That means applications are open now, and also means I have ~7 months of experience under my belt to reflect on.

Community Board members are not elected, so we have no decision-making power. Rather, we serve as policy influencers.

What’s a Community Board?

We have local elected officials like the Mayor and the City Council. Community Boards are one step below that. Community Board members are not elected, so we have no decision-making power. Rather, we serve as policy influencers: letting elected officials know how the community feels about XYZ issue. Find your Community District here.

Community Board members are not paid, and must live, work, or have some other “significant interest” in the community.

There are 59 Community Districts, each with 50 members.

Here’s my experience on my Community Board so far, and reasons you should consider applying:

#4: You can give your recommendation on decisions after they’ve already been decided. 

I already mentioned that Community Boards don’t have decisionmaking power. We just make recommendations to actual decisionmaking bodies. For example, we make recommendations to the state Office of Cannabis Management about cannabis licenses. We can recommend rejection for locations that we think are too close to parks. But we don’t reject the cannabis stores outright, we just make the recommendation. 

Sometimes we make the recommendation too late. 

In December, we recommended approval for two events that had already happened. 

Last week, my committee recommended to deny Madison Square Garden’s liquor license. Yes, THE Madison Square Garden. Like any other bar or restaurant, they have to apply to renew their license to sell alcohol.

Sooo… does that mean there won’t be beer at Knicks games???? No, don’t worry. My committee voted to deny the liquor license…. after it had already been approved by the State Liquor Authority. 

#3: You can be quoted in the New York Times.

Okay, community boards also do stuff. Like that time Manhattan Community Board 4 was featured in the New York Times: “N.Y.C. Community Boards Usually Oppose New Housing. Not This One.” They made headlines because often Community Boards are just reactive to proposals that come before us, like: “How do you feel about Madison Square Garden’s liquor license?” “How do you feel about this housing development proposal?”. CB4 got into the Times for 1) being proactive and, 2) being open to change. 

#2: You can have productive discussions with a diverse group of neighbors.

I’m here for change, improvement and innovation. I think dynamism is what makes cities great. That’s my bias. And I’m on my Community Board’s Landmarks committee, which gives recommendations on how to treat historic buildings in our district.😇

In November, our committee heard an application to install a $40M glass pedestrian skybridge in the Flatiron District. The applicant is a foundation that wants to convene scientists and nonprofit leaders. The skybridge between their two buildings would help make their space more conducive to these meetings. I thought the skybridge was a no-brainer: local nonprofit leaders and business representatives gave public comment in favor of the proposal, there are precedents for skybridges in other parts of the city, and the juxtaposition of old and new architecture is a beautiful part of New York’s built environment. 

After much discussion though, the vote was 9 to 5 to recommend denying the proposal. Most of the committee deemed it too futuristic within the pre-war architectural context of the district. 

Since Community Boards are just meant to reflect public opinion, there’s lots of discussions like this, where I share my perspective and hear others’. I will often change my mind on an issue, based on compelling arguments from other members. And sometimes my points influence others too.

Folks are often surprised to hear that my community board is actually super diverse. There’s a high school student as well as parents; there are renters as well as owners; there’s a range of ages, races/ethnicities, professions, backgrounds, and even political perspectives. Since it’s natural for humans to surround themselves with people most like them, I truly appreciate the chance to hear opinions I might not otherwise hear and learn more about my neighbors.

We recommended to deny this multi million dollar glass skybridge since it doesn’t look like the buildings around it.

#1: You can weigh in on important local issues.

In my time on Manhattan CB5, I’ve voted on issues from Manhattan congestion pricing to Penn Station redevelopment to local casino policy. I read up on topics before the vote, and in the process, I learn a lot about the way the city works. I also learn about how the world works. Case in point: the 4 hours I spent reading about the community impacts of casinos. 

Elected officials pay attention to the way the CB votes. We’re bellwethers of the community’s perspective on an issue. We’re such a small body that one voice really matters. For example, this article about my board’s recent Penn Station discussion calls out that three members voted differently from the rest. The article quotes one of those three members, Samir, sharing his research on the impact of the proposal on affordable housing production. There aren’t many other forums where your one vote can make this much of a difference. So, ready to apply?

The CB Application Process

Step 1. Submit application 

Open New York put together this fabulous compilation of Community Board application links and deadlines. 

When I filled out the Manhattan one last year, it probably took me 20 minutes. Deadlines range from Feb 15 to March 1.

Step 2. Get invited to an interview

In Manhattan, it’s a group interview via zoom. But my friend in Brooklyn just got a call one day out of the blue and got asked some interview questions. Not sure what it’s like for other boroughs. Comment below if you know!

Step 3. Receive confirmation email

The borough president’s office will let you know the status of your application.

Step 4. If you’re rejected, there’s still options

Here’s other ways to get onto your community board:

• Go through your City Council member. Half of CB members are nominated by their Council member. I know multiple folks on my community board that contacted their City Council member to share their interest and were appointed that way. This process can take months though.

• Try a different community board. Do you work in a different neighborhood than where you live? Does your kid go to school in a different community district? Let the borough president’s office know, and they can transfer your application. You don’t have to wait til next year– many folks on my community board applied to one district, got rejected, transferred their application to another district, then got approved all within a span of weeks.

• Join as a public member. 

  • Also known as Non-board Committee Members, public members join a particular committee. For example, there’s multiple public members on my Landmarks committee. They’re voting members of the Landmarks committee, but not the full board. Many of them are architects, so it makes sense that they’re just interested in discussing historic buildings and skipping the looooooong conversations about cannabis licenses.😂

  • The first step to becoming a public member is to attend multiple meetings of the committee that you’re interested in. Some CBs have application processes to become a public member. If the CB’s website doesn’t say, you can ask the chair of that committee what the process would be.