Queens Borough President Donovan Richards needs to institute a plan to extend minority neighborhood board members.
James Messerschmidt
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards is pushing a quota-like choice system for the borough’s 14 neighborhood boards in a controversial bid at gaining extra range on the panels, which weigh in on just about all native initiatives, The Put up has realized.
Richards appoints half the members to the advisory boards and native council members the opposite half. The boards usually wield affect on key land use points in addition to on finding bars and eating places in neighborhoods and sidewalk cafe permits.
A supply forwarded to The Put up a latest letter that Richards despatched to council members recommending new appointments primarily based on his affirmative motion plan that takes under consideration the present composition of the boards close to race, age and sexual identification in addition to census information.
For Neighborhood Board 9 overlaying Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and Woodhaven, for instance, Richards stated council members appointments must be “between the ages of 16-45, 56-65, of Asian, Black and Latino/x background and feminine/gender non-conforming.”
The CB 9 district has a big Hispanic inhabitants and a rising south Asian and central Asian inhabitants. However Latinos, who make up 40 p.c of the inhabitants, accounted for less than 16 p.c of the 47 neighborhood board members.
Queens Councilman Robert Holden, who makes alternatives to CB5, blasted the quota-type system.
“We must always appoint people who find themselves most dedicated to their neighborhoods and who're one of the best candidates. You don’t take a look at race, ethnicity or age,” stated Holden, who served on CB 5 for 30 years earlier than being elected to workplace.
He expressed concern that racial and ethnic preferences, whereas well-intended, might result in accusations of discrimination.
“You don’t wish to be charged with racism or ageism,” Holden stated.
For CB6, which takes in Forest Hills and Rego Park, Richards recommends choosing new board members who're ages 16 to 35, “of Asian ethnic background primarily based on the newest census information” in addition to ladies.
The neighborhoods have a rising inhabitants of Bukharan Jews from central Asian nations, significantly Uzbekistan, in addition to Chinese language immigrants, who mixed make up a couple of third of the inhabitants. However solely 5 board members of Asian descent, or 13 p.c, served on the board.
The borough president additionally beneficial youthful and Asian and Latino appointees in CB5 that covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Center Village and Maspeth.
The census says the district is about half-white however 69 p.c of the CB5 appointees are white. A smaller proportion of Hispanics served on the board than its 36 p.c inhabitants within the CB5 district.
Richards defended his initiative, noting that final yr, a record-shattering 941 residents utilized to serve on neighborhood boards and 884 utilized this yr, thanks largely to the range outreach and push.
“Borough President Richards has been outspoken and decided in his efforts to make sure that Queens’ 14 neighborhood boards look, sound and really feel just like the communities they characterize,” his spokesman stated.
“Our workplace is deeply happy with this crucial, New York Metropolis Constitution-mandated work to appropriate historic demographic inequities — starting with final yr’s profitable neighborhood board software course of, wherein vital progress was made — and this work will proceed with this yr’s course of. The Borough President seems to be ahead to appointing a various, dynamic class of public servants who won't solely characterize their communities with vigor, however assist lead Queens towards a brighter future.”
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