Queens Chronicle, January 6th 2000 Voices Of Young Are Rarely Heard On Borough's Community Boards By Daniel Hendrick Ever since the borough's community boards sprouted up in the 1970s, they have been on the front line between the city government and the communities themselves. Although not vested with great amounts of power, the boards have significant say in land use and zoning issues and make recommendations to the borough president in planning the city's budget, and their decisions directly impact the quality of life in every neighborhood. However, as anyone who has recently been to a community board meeting can see, at least one group of voices among them is rarely heard - that of young people. More than a casual observation, a round calls to the borough's 14 community boards supports the theory: people under 30 hold about 15 out of a total of 700 board seats, translating into 2 percent of the board's membership. This contrasts sharply with Queens' demographics where people between voting age and 30 account for 20 percent, according to the 1990 census. The figures are higher for board members between the voting age and 40, which the Chronicle estimates at between 80 and 100. But even at the high end of this estimate, people under 40 would comprise only 15 percent of CB membership - while accounting for 37 percent of the borough's population. So where are Queens' young people, and why are there so few on the community boards? To get a better look at the situation, the Chronicle talked to a number of residents, community board members, and elected officials. While there appears to be consensus that there are too few young people on the borough's community boards, there are a number of perspectives on why this is and what to do about it. Not Enough Time? For starters, many observers noted that being on the community board involves a time commitment. Many young people are starting their careers or beginning college after high school. Some felt that young people simply do not have the time for additional responsibilities. "Young people are just beginning their careers and sometimes have a family to raise at that age," said Marilyn Bitterman, district manager of CB 7 in Flushing. "Sometimes they just want to use their free time for athletics." Bitterman noted that only one person on CB 7 was around 30 years old, with another three or four members in their mid- to late-30's. That said, the community boards normally meet only once a month for two to three hours - the same amount of time that it would take to see a movie or catch a basketball game. One of the borough's youngest community board members, 21-year old Tim Higgins of CB 5, told the Chronicle that he had no problem fitting the meetings into his busy schedule. "We meet only once a month, maybe twice if you are on a committee," he said, adding that he is the chairperson of CB 5's library services and youth services committees. Higgins also studies during the day at John Jay College in Manhattan and works for Assemblyman Michael Cohen in the evenings. Political Cynicism Others suggested that the lack of younger people on the CBs has deeper roots. Maryana Zubok, a 22-year-old Queens College student and education activist, felt that the situation reflects the cynicism among young people toward the entire political process on every level. "Young people are not involved because they aren't politicized - they don't vote and they're not aware of current events," she said. "They just don't think that politics have an impact on their lives." Zubok opined that the boards' membership does not always reflect the local population it represents. "Sometimes young people go to the meetings and see only white people there. That sends a message to young people, especially those of color, that the boards are not really interested in diversity," she said. "Something needs to be done to correct that balance." Flushing land-use activist Paul Graziano, 28, agreed, adding that many young people are turned off by what they see as a dangerous mix of money and politics. "They see how difficult it is to fight politics and the money behind politics," Graziano said. "People with money don't even need to get involved in politics directly, they just give donations in return for special consideration." Graziano also felt that because community board members are appointed by the borough president and city council members, some believe that elected officials grant appointments only to like-minded individuals. "There is a perception that you have to perform political favors in return for a seat on the community board, and some people think members operate at the whim of the borough president." Kathleen Reilly, district manager of CB 6 in Forest Hills and Rego Park, told the Chronicle that she had heard of such perceptions. "A lot of people think that you have to belong to the local political club to get a seat on the community boards," she said. "Of course, there is some overlap, but we would welcome applications from everyone, especially younger people." Getting the word out - is it enough? One factor that might be contributing to the low numbers of younger people has to do with the process by which community board members are selected. The technical requirements for membership are fairly straightforward: individuals need to be at least 18 years of age and must either live, work, or own property in the district they are representing. However, it is the borough president, in consultation with respective city council members, who holds the final approval for all applications. Given the role that they play in the appointment process, many observers felt that local elected officials needed to do more to encourage young people to join community boards. "I think the borough president's office could do a little more outreach," said Higgins. "They could talk more at colleges and high schools about the community boards to get people interested, particularly at the time of year when they make appointments." Sunnyside resident Kate Brennan, a member of Community Board 2, echoed Higgins' ideas. "I think first of all that young people need to show an interest by coming to the meetings. But maybe we need to reach out to the churches and some of the social clubs to stimulate young people's interest," Brennan noted. "Perhaps the time has come to remind the borough president of her commitment to every resident in our borough." A spokesman for Claire Shulman's office stated that the borough president already encourages young people to get involved in civic life. "Borough President Shulman makes frequent appearances at the borough's colleges and schools and encourages and tells them how important it is that they get involved in their communities," said Dan Andrews of Shulman's office. As for an active outreach effort to get young people involved with the community boards, Andrews noted that such a program "might be something to consider." City Councilman Walter McCaffrey, who represents Woodside, felt that an outreach program wouldn't do enough to attract young people to the community boards. "I would be happy to get more young people appointed to the community boards, but I can't force them to become more active," he said, adding that outreach efforts such as newspaper advertisements and meeting announcements on school campuses were "window dressing." McCaffrey said that he uses clear language whenever he speaks to young people to get them involved. "I tell them that if it is not important to you, it is not important to me. If you don't choose to fight for yourself, I cannot fight with you.' But I don't think the government is the solution to the problem." For now, the relatively few young people that are active in Queens political life continue to make sure their voices are heard. "At the civic meetings I go to, I am usually the youngest one in the room by decades," said Graziano. "It gets a little lonely down here sometimes." go to top