Queens Community Board Applications See 56-Percent Jump

KEW GARDENS, QUEENS — A record number of people applied to serve on one of Queens' 14 community boards this year, according to the borough president's office.

The office received 931 applications from newcomers and current board members seeking reappointment — a borough record, and an increase of more than 56 percent from the 595 applications submitted last year, a spokesperson said.

That includes nearly 700 people who are not currently members of a community board, compared to 252 last year.

“Democracy works best when it hears the voices of all the people it serves,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. “Having a community board membership that truly reflects the diversity in Queens will help ensure our City government hears what our borough’s residents have to say."

The surge follows the rollout of a new, simpler community board application.

Richards launched the fully-digital application in January, eliminating previous requirements that applicants notarize their forms and drop them off in-person at Queens Borough Hall.

Richards, who was elected in November, said the update would diversify the applicant pool by making the process more accessible.

Self-reported demographic data indicates that Queens community boards largely skew whiter and older than the populations they represent, although about a quarter of board members did not disclose information on their race or ethnicity and several dozen did not report their age.

An analysis by the Queens Daily Eagle and Measure of America found that Latinos and individuals under 45 are underrepresented on every board, Asian residents are underrepresented on every board but one, and men significantly outnumber women on several boards.

That lack of representation can have a ripple effect; as New York City's most hyper-local form of government, community boards are meant to serve as the neighborhood's voice on matters like restaurant liquor licenses, bike lanes and new developments.

Whether the unprecedented size of this year's applicant pool will result in more diverse community boards now falls to Richards, who must approve all board appointments. (Half of members are nominated by their district's City Council representative.)

New and reappointed members will serve unpaid, two-year terms starting April 1.