Queens Community board applications swell amid deep racial, ethnic and gender disparities

New community board members were sworn-in in 2019. Photo via Queens Borough President’s Office

By David Brand

A record number of community board applications may give the new borough president a chance to address deep racial, ethnic and gender disparities across all 14 boards in Queens.

A total of 931 people submitted applications to join their local community boards, said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards — up from 595 applications last year. It’s a Queens record, Richards said. 

Annual analyses by the Eagle and the organization Measure of America show that community boards in the “World’s Borough” rarely reflect the diverse districts that give Queens that nickname.  

Latinos, Asians and immigrants are underrepresented on nearly every board in the borough relative to their population.  

Men and women each make up about half the population in Queens, but male members outnumber female members on 10 of the borough’s 14 community boards. On three boards, men more than double women. Meanwhile, just two board members across the borough identified as transgender or gender non-conforming in 2019.

Older adults dominate the boards, with about two-thirds of members over age 55, the Eagle reported. 

Richards said the new batch of applications could change those disparities.  

“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,” Richards said. “I look forward to reviewing the applications we received for community board membership.”

Queens’ 14 community boards serve as key conduits between local residents and city government, making advisory recommendations on land use issues, weighing in on street design plans, educating residents about topics like ranked-choice voting and hosting forums on other key community concerns.

Each community board has 50 seats for unpaid members who live in, work in or demonstrate some connection to the district they represent.

For the first time, Richards allowed Queens residents to submit their applications online rather than printing, notarizing and submitting the forms in-person. He said his office also conducted outreach on college campuses, in NYCHA complexes and in immigrant communities to encourage more underrepresented people to apply.

In addition, he said he wants a new immigrant welcome center at Queens Borough Hall to drive civic participation among foreign-born residents. “We hope it will draw people to community boards,” he said.