Community Boards in East Harlem (#11) and Central Harlem (#10) now welcome new members. Deadline to apply is Feb 15. Elected officials themselves or their aides join the meetings of community boards, thus it is one of the easiest way to voice your concerns to NYC elected officials. Though it does not have voting power, the community board also advises city officials on land use applications (e.g. rezoning issues) and budget allocation.
Community Board is a good platform for policy advocacy and to build a network in the neighborhood. For example, CB7 in Upper West Side played an instrumental role in pushing back 1 of the 60 temporary homeless shelter. See article here: news 1, news 2.
- Apply here: https://www.manhattanbp.nyc.gov/cbapplication/.
- To find out more about the purposes of community board, click here About Community Boards
- To find out more about the two community boards, click here: CB10, CB11
The flip side is that this work takes time, which would be about 6-8 hours a month. If you have questions about the time commitment and responsibilities.. etc, feel free to text me to find a time to talk at 415 215 2035..