The New York City Charter requires the City be divided into Community Districts (CD) along such boundries that coincide with the historic, geographic and identifiable communities.
These CD's are the day to day representatives on NYC Government; each CD has a Community Board (CB) the Board consists of up to forty unpaid volunteers drawn from the respective district & are then appointed by the relevant Boro President. The local City Councilmember gets to nominate half of the Board Members which in turn serve for a two year term with no term limits. These Boards have various subcommittees such as Police, Education, Parks and Transportation etc.
CB 3 covers Bed-Stuy & its' membership's makeup have raised concerns that it does not represent the diversity of the Bed-Stuy Community. CB 3's forty Members are all drawn from the same socio-demographic. CB 3's forty Members are 100% Black, mostly elderly & all are wealthy residents of Bed-Stuy's brownstone set. There are NO Housing Project Residents despite Bed-Stuy being the situs to eight housing projects which house some 35,000 people. There are NO Hispanic, White, Asian or American Indian Members.
The lack of diversity is stunning yet neither Brooklyn Boro President Marty Markowitz and Bed-Stuy's City Councilmember Al Vann will respond to inquiries concerning the absence of diversity on CB 3. What do Bed-Stuy residents think about the lack of diversity on CB 3?
What is it about you and Al Vann? I mean seriously, you mention his name every time you comment on the site. What's the deal man?
Its not true that I mention Al Vann's name every time I comment on this site. Hit the comments link via my name & every one of my prior postings pops up & you see you are wrong. But anytime I comment about Mr. Vann it is fair comment as he is an elected public official who I argue has ceased to be effective for we the people. Al Vann voted for the change in law to allow Bloomberg to run for a third term and therefore do the severe damage Bloomberg has done to our community during the past 3 years. Vann then voted for Christine Quinn over Charles Barron to be City Council Speaker. Ms. Quinn uses to Speaker's post to advance her set's best interests and not our community's concerns. Al Vann has promised BedStuy a sanitation garage for the past 35 years and has yet to deliver. Nostrand Ave repairs promised for ten years just got underway and Bed Stuy folks ain't getting those jobs. The list goes on and on which is why I do raise Mr. Vann's name--he is the failed elected public official we are struck with.
I am not seeking just some white faces. I am seeking some of the 35,000 residents of Bed-Stuy's eight housing projects (read: poor Blacks) AND Hispanics, Asians and American Indians-- not just the older wealthy Black residents of Bed-Stuy's Brownstone set who currently monopolize CB 2.