Politics, Proclamations & Public Engagement: Manhattan CB3’s April Session in Review
The start of a series summarizing and explaining the ongoings of Lower East Side's Community Board meetings.
Earlier this week, I attended the Full Board meeting for my community district - Manhattan Community District 3 (CD3). I have been a resident of CD3 since April 2023 - two full years now - but have only recently begun attending Community Board 3 (CB3) meetings. In fact, I was quite unaware of what a community board even was until a few months ago, including how they operated, what they discussed, or even that anyone could attend any CB meeting. Attending these monthly full board meetings, as well as the various committee meetings like the Parks, Recreation, Waterfront, & Resiliency Committee and the Transportation, Public Safety, Sanitation & Environment Committee, has revealed a treasure trove of knowledge covering the ongoings in my neighborhood and how local politics functions in New York City.
A quick rundown for those new to the idea of community boards: NYC is divided into 59 community boards, each with 50 unsalaried members, who are appointed by the corresponding Borough President and who “must reside, work, or have some other significant interest in the community”. Community boards have no legislative powers but loads of soft power through their advisory roles on many land use and zoning cases, among other things. The opinions issued by community boards influence the decisions council members, borough presidents, and the Mayor make on land use applications and legislation regarding their respective communities and the city overall. Community boards are also excellent places to get in on the ground floor of local politics, as many elected officials attend their meetings and schmooze with community board members.
Attending my community board’s meetings, I’ve learned about local events, efforts to bring buildings and roads in compliance with new regulations like meeting Energy Grade targets, complaints over the design of new bike lanes or the lack of lighting in a park, and the litany of applications by local businesses for sidewalk cafes. For anyone interested in civics and local politics, or just wanting a better understanding of what’s happening in their neighborhood and how and why it may be changing, I highly recommend attending your community board’s meetings.
For residents of my district and all those interested in the current proceedings of CB3, I plan to run a regular series covering the topics discussed at the Manhattan CB3 meetings. I will do my best to provide summaries of the topics presented and discussed, highlighting areas of disagreement or matters connected to wider city politics, and with links to read and learn more. If you also attended a CB3 meeting and find that I’ve missed or misstated any meeting occurrences, please reach out and I will add it to this meeting summary! I would also love to connect with other residents of my community district, or others in NYC attending their own community board’s meetings, so please reach out if you are interested in chatting. If you are in CD3, the next full board meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 27th at 6:30 pm at P.S. on 166 Essex Street.
Without further ado, we begin this series with…
Manhattan Community Board 3 April Full Board Meeting
Full Board Meeting
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - 6:30pm
PS 20 - 166 Essex Street
Note: CB3 full board meetings do not have an online option nor are they recorded - though other community boards and even committees within CB3 have their meetings on Zoom.
Meeting Highlights:
Public comments on Open Streets and debate over Le Dive’s outdoor dining
Complaints by CB3 leadership of being inundated with too many outdoor dining applications to review
State representatives are all very busy with budget negotiations
Rowdy debate on the legality of an amendment and questions over correct parliamentary procedure
Public Session
The meeting began with public comments, and there was much anticipation for the hearing on open streets in the district, including the Canal Open Street that contains Le Dive outdoor dining. Four residents shared their perspectives on the issue, mostly voicing support for Le Dive’s sidewalk cafe and urging approval of their application.
A tribute was given to a member of CB3 who has dedicated 53 years to community board service. In recognition of his service, he received framed notes from the offices of Council Member Carlina Rivera and Assembly Member Grace Lee.
Interesting to note that due to the implementation of community board term limits in 2019, this milestone will never again be matched. As written in Chapter 70, Section 2800 of the NYC Charter, members are now limited to four consecutive two-year terms.
Above: Receiving certificates for a 53-year board membership.
Elected Officials Reports
Mayor Eric Adams has introduced a new quality of life division, which will begin as a two-month pilot program to be rolled out gradually afterward.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) has established a new division dedicated to managing outdoor dining applications, which may help speed up approvals.
Community Boards CB2 and CB3 have collectively processed over 100 outdoor dining applications in the past one to two months and anticipate reviewing over 1,000 applications this year. However, no additional funding has been allocated to support this increased workload. The CB3 District Manager raised concerns about the need for more resources, sparking a discussion with a representative from the Mayor’s Office.
Manhattan CBs received nearly 1,000 applications for the next round of board members this year! Results are expected to be announced in early May.
State policy matters were also addressed during the meeting, primarily about budget negotiations and mental health crisis funding. Assembly Member Harvey Epstein showed up to the meeting and personally presented the previously mentioned 53 years of service board member with a framed proclamation.
Assembly Member Epstein cited the reopening of the Tompkins Square Park fieldhouse, including several bathrooms which had been closed for nearly two years as an example of government functioning, though taking much longer than it should have. Note that the reconstruction of this fieldhouse cost the city $5.6 million.
One attendee voiced concerns about drug activity in the park, prompting Assembly Member Epstein to confirm that park staff would monitor the location, and bathroom hours would be restricted.
Representatives from Assembly Members Grace Lee and Deborah J. Glick also highlighted ongoing state budget negotiations with the governor.
Glick’s office also mentioned efforts to renew legislation targeting drivers who obscure their license plates to evade ticketing, as well as a bill addressing PFAS chemical contamination in water supplies.
A representative for State Senator Brian Kavanagh also emphasized his focus on budget negotiations in Albany and efforts to provide Know Your Rights information for immigrants.
A representative of Council Member Christopher Marte reported receiving 2,684 online votes on participatory budgeting this year, in addition to further paper ballots. Marte’s office is also advocating to end 24-hour workdays for home care attendants.
Council Member Carlina Rivera’s representative reiterated her support for expanding supportive housing for formerly incarcerated individuals and highlighted her leadership in securing funding for arts and cultural institutions.
Additionally, NYC residents are now required to begin composting as of April 1.
Roll Call
A roll call was held, and 10 members were absent.
Board Reports
The Board Chair’s Report announced that Pratt Institute is conducting a community affordability study to assess local needs.
A straw poll was conducted on whether a board retreat would improve collaboration among the board members - about half of the members supported the idea.
A new member party is scheduled for later in May.
The District Manager’s Report included testimony advocating for increased funding for community board budgets.
The District Manager noted that outer boroughs have fewer staff yet the same budgets.
The District Needs Statement - a key document used to assess community district priorities - will be prepared in July, informing budget priorities in October. The District Manager mentioned this is a widely used document by city agencies and residents.
Executive Committee Report
The Executive Committee proposed an amendment to delegate hiring decisions for the Assistant District Manager role to the District Manager. However, one CB member pointed out that the board’s bylaws require hiring decisions to be reviewed by the Personnel Committee before being put to a vote by the entire Board.
The Board Chair emphasized that the goal of the amendment was to accelerate hiring, as previous candidates often accepted other jobs before receiving an offer. The previous Assistant District Manager left due to low salary, and the standard hiring process takes 60 days, which has proven too lengthy for a role with low compensation.
The discussion underscored the need for a faster hiring process, while a lack of funding prevents salary increases. The board member advocated for improved oversight, ensuring procedural integrity rather than a streamlined approach that ignores the bylaws.
It was stressed that any procedural adjustments must follow proper protocol and that a more comprehensive amendment would be required.
Some board members argued that bylaws serve as guidelines rather than rigid rules, suggesting they could be modified to reflect the desired new process without waiting for an official change.
However, the NYC Charter states: “Each community board, within the budgetary appropriations therefor, shall appoint a district manager and shall be authorized to utilize the services of such other professional staff and consultants, including planners and other experts, as it may deem appropriate, all of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the community board and shall provide the board with the staff support and technical assistance it requires to fulfill the duties assigned to it by this charter or other law.”
Meanwhile, the bylaws of Manhattan CB3 contain this statement [my emphasis added]: “In accordance with the City Charter, personnel, policies of the City of New York and existing requirements of due process, the Board shall appoint a District Manager and staff to serve at the pleasure of the Board.”
Lastly, CB3 follows Robert’s Rules for parliamentary procedure, which states: “No motion is in order that conflicts with the constitution, by-laws, or standing rules or resolutions of the assembly, and if such a motion is adopted it is null and void. Before introducing such a motion it is necessary to amend the constitution or by-laws, or amend or rescind the conflicting standing rule or resolution. So, too, a motion is not in order that conflicts with a resolution previously adopted by the assembly at the same session, or that has been introduced and has not been finally disposed of. If it is not too late the proper course is to reconsider [36 Reconsider] the vote on the motion previously adopted, and then amend it so as to express the desired idea.”
The above collection of rules seems to forbid the passage of an amendment to the hiring resolution that allows the District Manager to hire an Assistant DM, and require such an amendment to be passed in the bylaws first. Such procedures being violated presents an interesting case study of the lack of expertise on Robert’s Rules at the local level and the need for better education and enforcement - perhaps a topic for another post!
This is such a great write-up! Especially given you mention that CB3’s full board meetings aren’t recorded or live streamed, this is a very valuable contribution to transparency.