Number of Community Board Applications Dramatically Rise In Brooklyn

Frustrated by the election results and by the new administration, New Yorkers are hoping to make a difference by becoming more active locally.

A recent Wall Street Journal article reports that the number of applications to serve on community boards throughout the city has risen 20% or more in three of the city’s five boroughs.

There are 59 community boards in New York City. Each board consists of 50 unpaid appointees, selected by their borough president. Community board members serve 2-year terms and act as advisory councils on neighborhood land use, city services, and budgeting.

A community board serves as the official municipal body that advises elected officials and government agencies on matters and issues that affect its district and residents.

In Brooklyn, community board applications have shot up, with the Borough President’s office receiving 1,100 applications so far for 2017.

Stefan Ringel, Communications Director for Borough President Eric Adams, confirms the increase in applications for Brooklyn’s 18 community boards, adding that the office received 600 applications in 2016 and about 525 in 2015.

Ringel notes that candidates were able to apply online for the first time this year and that the office will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis after the February 15, 2017 deadline to ensure a “robust and diverse pool of submissions year-round.”

In a statement, Adams says, ““We are excited about the increased interest in Brooklyn’s community boards, the most hyperlocal level of our government.”

“More broadly, it emblemizes the spike in civic engagement since the election of President Trump, a spike I hope is sustained through continued participation and peaceful agitation of our political system,” he adds.

The current numbers account for both new applications as well as reappointment applications. There are no term limits. After serving 2 years, appointees may reapply.

Top 5 Brooklyn districts for new applicants:
CB3—Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ocean Hill, Stuyvesant Heights
CB2—Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Fulton Ferry, Fulton Mall
CB1—Flushing Avenue, Greenpoint, Northside, Southside, Williamsburg
CB6—Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, Red Hook
A fifth-place tie between CB18, serving Bergen Beach, Carnarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island, and CB8, serving Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, And Weeksville.

Top 5 Brooklyn districts for total applicants (including new and reappointment applications) are:
CB3—Bedford-Stuyvesant, Ocean Hill, Stuyvesant Heights
CB2—Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Fulton Ferry, Fulton Mall
CB1—Flushing Avenue, Greenpoint, Northside, Southside, Williamsburg
CB6—Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, Red Hook.
CB18— Bergen Beach, Carnarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island

Click here for the online Brooklyn Community Board Application.

Here’s a handy guide with advice on how to join your local community board.