Have you ever wanted to have more of a voice in your community? Would you want to protect your neighbors by enabling safer streets or do you think streets are safe enough as they are? As a community board member you would work with city agencies, elected officials, and local leaders to ensure their neighborhood’s perspectives and needs are incorporated into the decisions that will affect them. This includes everything from housing development and public transit to our city’s budget and services like sanitation.
North Brooklyn is served by Brooklyn Community Board 1, which holds its combined public hearing and board meeting at 211 Ainslie Street on the second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. Meetings are usually suspended in July or August unless there is a need. There are also committee meetings.
All board members are required to attend the monthly meeting in person, as well as to join a committee and attend their committee’s meeting. The anticipated monthly time commitment is six to eight hours.
“Community Boards help shape our neighborhoods and can make a meaningful impact on our communities becoming more equitable, sustainable and dynamic. Applications are open! Please consider applying. Borough President Antonio Reynoso and I are both excited to appoint people who are actively involved in our communities. Anyone over the age of 16 can apply to join their local board through February 14,” urged NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler in his December 24 newsletter.
The application process has two parts. First, an application is filled out with information about you and your interest in joining a Brooklyn community board. Second, is a brief, virtual conversation with a member of the Brooklyn Borough President’s team. Applicants will later be notified with a decision once board selections have been made.
It’s completely free to serve on a community board, and because it’s a volunteer position, members do not receive monetary compensation.
The Greenline 