Councilmember Cumbo Explains Choosing Not To Implement Participatory Budgeting In District 35

Councilmember Cumbo Explains Choosing Not To Implement Participatory Budgeting In District 35
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Over 20 New York City Councilmembers are giving constituents a big opportunity to spend money this year through Participatory Budgeting, Gotham Gazette was the first to report last week. The interactive program, which encourages New Yorkers to vote for how they’d like to see capital funds spent, is now in it’s fourth year–and the publication notes that this year’s number of participating districts has doubled from 2013 and quintupled from 2011.

Representatives from all over Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx opted in this year. District 33’s Stephen Levin, who covers a few edges of our area, is on the list of Councilmembers who’ve elected to give district residents official control of $1-2 million in funds, but Councilmember Laurie Cumbo is not. We reached out to the Councilmember’s office to learn more.

“Participatory budgeting represents a powerful Democratic tool for New Yorkers, one that allows them to decide for themselves what priorities are most important in their own communities,” Councilmember Cumbo tells us. “I strive to join my colleagues in the New York City Council in the expansion of participatory budgeting by implementing this process in the 35th district. This will be an extremely worthwhile yet ambitious undertaking, requiring a great deal of time, organization, commitment, and patience from all of us.

“I am proud to represent a district that is so full of community involvement and initiative,” she says. “I want to establish a strong foundation for participatory budgeting to ensure the continued growth of our community.

“In lieu of this process, I am organizing informational forums to engage my constituents in preparation for Fiscal Year 2016. I want to ensure that we can conduct a fair, efficient, and thorough participatory budget process to ensure that our community receives the necessary funding to support the programs and services for local residents to thrive.”

Several neighbors expressed their disapproval of Councilmember Cumbo’s recent $1.4 million allocation to MoCADA–so we wonder, what would you have used that money on if you’d cast a Participatory Budgeting vote? And do you agree with the Councilmember’s idea of building a foundation before implementing Participatory Budgeting in District 35?