MELINDA KATZ (718) 286-3000 PRESIDENT w eb site: www.queensbp.org e-mail: [email protected] CITY OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOROUGH OF QUEENS 120-5 5 QUEENS BOULEV A RD KEW GARDENS, NEW YORK 11424-1015 To: The Mayor of the City of New York The Speaker of the New York City Council From: The Office of the Queens Borough President Re: 2019 Queens Community Board Report Over the past five years, the Borough President has appointed hundreds of civic-minded individuals to represent their communities on our borough’s 14 Community Boards. Over 300 of these appointments were first-time members, reflecting a commitment to seeking out a diverse group of voices that represent all segments of their respective communities. These efforts have promoted a healthy balance on Community Boards between the useful experience of returning members and the fresh perspectives of new members. The Office of the Queens Borough President issues the following report on Queens Community Boards in 2019 pursuant to the provisions of New York City Charter § 82(17)(a). The demographic information contained in the appendices to this report was collected pursuant to an updated 2019 version of our Community Board application and pertains only to 2019 appointees. § 82(17)(a)(i) Queens Community Board members are appointed to staggered two-year terms each April. Attached to this report is a spreadsheet containing the names of persons serving as Community Board members as of April 1, 2019, the most recent date at which new terms began. For each member, the spreadsheet also indicates attendant information required by the Charter. Each year, each Queens Council Member meets with our office to review and approve a list of all nominees in their district prior to appointment; the spreadsheet column labeled “Nominating Party” indicates whether the member’s current Council Member has ever signed an application submitted by the member. § 82(17)(a)(ii) For April 2019 Community Board appointments, the Office of the Queens Borough President updated its Community Board application to include questions seeking the voluntary disclosure of demographic information as required by the New York City Charter. The spreadsheets attached to this report include this information in an aggregated and anonymized form. § 82(17)(a)(iii) Table 1 indicates Queens Community Board vacancies, disaggregated by Community Board, as of April 1, 2019: Table 1. 2019 Queens Community Boards | Vacancies CB1: 0 vacancies CB8: 0 vacancies CB2: 0 vacancies CB9: 11 vacancies CB3: 0 vacancies CB10: 4 vacancies CB4: 5 vacancies CB11: 5 vacancies CB5: 4 vacancies CB12: 1 vacancy CB6: 1 vacancy CB13: 0 vacancies CB7: 0 vacancies CB14: 6 vacancies § 82(17)(a)(iv) At the beginning of each year, the Office of the Queens Borough President undertakes a substantial effort to publicize that it is accepting new Community Board applications. This effort includes issuing a press release, posting on various social media platforms and our website, and sending out announcements and reminders in our weekly e-mail newsletter. Furthermore, staff members make announcements at all Community Board meetings held during the application period, as well as at Borough Board and Borough Cabinet meetings and other events sponsored by our office. We also work closely with the Queens City Council delegation during the application process and request that they solicit applications from their respective networks and communities, and we consult with each Council Member prior to finalizing appointments. Constituents who contact our office throughout the year are also often encouraged to apply during the next application period. Finally, the office leverages its ongoing relationships with hundreds of Queens-based organizations and affinity groups throughout the borough, inviting Page 2 of 4 them to encourage their memberships and constituencies to apply. The variety of these efforts is intended by our office to reach a pool of potential candidates that reflects the diversity of our borough. § 82(17)(a)(v) For April 2019 Community Board appointments, the Office of the Queens Borough President received, in total, 234 non-renewal applications for open positions, from which 76 new members were appointed. It should be noted that not all members who submitted an application were necessarily eligible for appointment. For example, six applicants submitted a pre-2019 application form and did not respond to requests for them to submit the updated 2019 application form. Some candidates were unable to demonstrate a residence, business, or professional or other significant interest in the district and therefore were not eligible for appointment. Table 2 disaggregates these numbers by Community Board: Table 2. 2019 Queens Community Boards | New Applications and Appointments CB1: 24 received, 4 appointed CB8: 13 received, 2 appointed CB2: 22 received, 8 appointed CB9: 9 received, 1 appointed CB3: 28 received, 6 appointed CB10: 16 received, 6 appointed CB4: 15 received, 8 appointed CB11: 12 received, 6 appointed CB5: 17 received, 8 appointed CB12: 22 received, 6 appointed CB6: 14 received, 6 appointed CB13: 14 received, 4 appointed CB7: 12 received, 5 appointed CB14: 16 received, 6 appointed § 82(17)(a)(vi) The Office of the Queens Borough President seeks to interview all new Community Board applicants; if an applicant was not interviewed, then our office was unable to successfully reach the applicant. Two-hundred and sixteen candidates were interviewed for potential appointment in April 2019. Table 3 disaggregates these numbers by Community Board: Page 3 of 4 Table 3. 2019 Queens Community Boards | Interviews CB1: 22 interviewed CB8: 13 interviewed CB2: 22 interviewed CB9: 8 interviewed CB3: 25 interviewed CB10: 12 interviewed CB4: 13 interviewed CB11: 11 interviewed CB5: 17 interviewed CB12: 19 interviewed CB6: 14 interviewed CB13: 14 interviewed CB7: 12 interviewed CB14: 14 interviewed § 82(17)(a)(vii) The first consideration for appointment is whether the candidate is eligible for appointment under the provisions of New York City Charter § 2800(a). If the applicant is eligible, then the applicant is evaluated holistically based on information provided in the written application and in the interview. Factors that are considered include the length of the applicant’s residence or interest in the community, whether the applicant has previously attended Community Board meetings, the applicant’s stated reason for seeking appointment to a Community Board, the applicant’s commitment to consistent attendance at meetings, the applicant’s organizational and community affiliations (as an indication of civic engagement), and the skills and experience possessed by the applicant that could benefit the Community Board. In making final decisions, the Office of the Queens Borough President also considers the whether the aggregate of appointments fairly represents all segments of the community in accordance with the Charter. § 82(17)(a)(viii) The Office of the Queens Borough President does not employ any specific tools in the selection process outside of the general process described above. Page 4 of 4 2019 Queens Community Board Members (as of 2019.04.01) Board First Name Last Name First Appointment Date Dates of Reappointment Length of Service (in years) Nominating Party Leadership Position 1 Rose Anne Alafogiannis 2004 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 15 CM Constantanides 1 George Alexiou 1997 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 22 CM Constantanides 1 Daniel Aliberti 1998 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 21 CM Constantanides 1 Loren Amor 2017 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 2 CM Constantanides 1 Avninder Aujla 2017 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 2 1 Edward Babor 2001 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 18 Secretary 1 Jose Batista 1994 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 25 1 Ann Bruno 1997 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 22 CM Constantanides 1 Edwin Cadiz 2016 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 3 CM Constantanides 1 Gerald Caliendo 1977 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 42 1 Jean Marie D'Alleva 1997 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 22 2nd VC 1 Antonella DiSaverio 2011 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 8 CM Van Bramer 1 Katerina Duarte 2018 1 1 Katie Ellman 2015 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 4 CM Constantanides 1 Elizabeth Erion 1977 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 42 CM Constantanides 1 Mackenzi Farquer 2014 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 5 CM Constantanides 1 Dean Feratovic 2011 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 8 1 Evie Hantzopoulos 2010 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 9 CM Constantanides 1 Amy Hau 2014 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 5 CM Van Bramer 1 Helen Ho 2017 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 2 CM Van Bramer 1 Pauline Jannelli 2003 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 16 1 Vanessa Jones-Hall 2014 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 5 CM Constantanides 1 George Kalergios 2017 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 2 CM Constantanides 1 Richard Khuzami 2000 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 19 CM Constantanides 3rd VC 1 Nancy Konipol 2014 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 5 CM Constantanides 1 Jaroslaw Kril 2008 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 11 CM Constantanides 1 Melanie LaRocca 2015 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 4 CM Van Bramer 1 Joel Lock 2019 0 Borough President 1 Hannah Lupien 2018 1 1 Jeffrey Martin 2019 0 Borough President 1 Antonio Meloni 1988 Even Years (Last Reappointment 2018) 31 1 Prabir Mitra 2009 Odd Years (Last Reappointment 2019) 10 1 Eric Mouchette 2018