Dec. 26, 2014 By Council Member Daniel Dromm
Term limits are important to ensure democracy. That’s why I am proposing to limit community board members to serving six, two-year terms for a total of 12 years.
I recently introduced legislation, co-sponsored by Council Member Ben Kallos from Manhattan, that would set term limits for community board members at six two-year terms or 12 years in total.
Members currently serving on boards would not be affected by this legislation. Only new members elected after April 1, 2016 would be limited. In any government or decision making body it is important to be challenged and checked by new points of view.
I have great respect for our neighbors that have volunteered on community boards for decades but I believe that communities change and so should community boards. A larger turnover of members will ensure that new ideas, cultures and backgrounds will be represented.
In the City Council, members are limited to two four-year terms. Why shouldn’t community board members also face term limits? For all the same reasons I believe in term limits for elected officials, I believe in term limits for community board members.
Community boards have important jobs to do. They approve liquor licenses. They review land use proposals. They respond to constituent quality of life issues. They do many other things that I find very helpful to my office. But, in the end, I believe limiting the power of a few helps the majority.
When term limits was first instituted in the City Council people predicted the city would fall apart especially because we had just suffered the tragedy of 9/11. But that didn’t happen and the new City Council got us through the crisis.
Twelve years of service as community board member doesn’t mean a person can’t continue to serve the community. In fact, they could and should continue to serve on board committees. I would urge any member of the community to volunteer in this capacity. There are also many civic, educational and community based groups that could use the expertise that community board members have cultivated during their time of service.
Before being elected as a City Council Member I was very involved in the Jackson Heights community. It’s helped to get me elected to public office. I urge residents to support this effort to bring added transparency and democracy to our community boards by supporting my community board legislation in the City Council.
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29 Comments
@el Loco @David Do either of you two nimrods ever stop blathering? Stop talking at each other and wait 5 minutes to catch your breath. You are both so convinced of your own brilliance you can’t even be civil. No one needs your unending stream of consciousness. The topic gets lost in your childish rush to have the last word.
@el Loco Why would I care about a point made by you? I asked you to explain just one of your silly points and you have not been able to do it. Your points are useless if you don’t even know the meaning of them. You’ve proven yourself to be nothing but chest pounding blowhard who obviously doesn’t know what he is even posting about. The loudest voice in the room. Congratulations you’re a bonafied fool.
David you are a fool. That is my point.
Daniel dromm is so dreamy! Look at those blue eyes! Dreamy dromm
This would never happen in Britain
While I agree that the leadership has been in office for far too long, I believe the members themselves get better the longer they serve. A friend of mine was appointed and said the issues facing the board are so varied and complex it took her quite a while to figure out how it all works. She is in her seventh year now and just feels she can build a coalition, have influence with local merchants and see when others are abusing power. Perhaps there is a middle ground that would balance things out.
I work in another organization where the leadership turns over so often the organization itself can be said to be brand new, even though it is 80 years old. New people make the same neophyte mistakes over and over and over again. It is pitiful.
Chill Great point.
you do people post long posts?? Seriously, its almost 2015, people dont have attention spans for novels. Make your point and end it.
Sharona not everything can be said in bumper sticker slogan. 5 sentences is far from a novel. You’re a great example of what the 11 second news sound bite has created.
You’ve written a lot and said nothing. Saying that I an anonymous shows just how stupid you are. Just because you’ve given your first name doesn’t make you brave. Give your last name also if you’re so brave.
El all I asked was for you to clarify one sentence that you posted. You’ve done nothing but jump through hoops and chest pound to avoid standing behind your statement. If you can’t justify then man up and admit it.
El loco you still haven’t clarified your first post with your quote ” political parties control who the candidates are”. You know that whole puppet and puppet master thing. However,you did post another chest pounding rant. I guess you can’t answer for your very own post. Is that why you post under an alias? Thanks for making my case. You blowhards make it too easy. Are you embarrassed to be so ignorant? You know unconsciously you probably are, that’s why you don’t put up your real name. You sound like the newly created breed of Fox News created idiots, chest pounding ignorant loud mouths who say a lot without saying anything at all. What you ‘feel’ and ‘believe’ trump fact, truth and history. I liked the good old days better when the stupid and ignorant just kept quite so you weren’t sure if they were stupid or ignorant but now Fox News have you blowhards convinced you have something to offer however you’re only making fools of yourselves like you just did. This post will probably stress your short attention span.
My attention span is too short to pay attention to boring, senseless dribble.
i’m talking about changing one problem not overthrowing the entire American political system. Our system is corrupt everyone even you know it. But putting in term limits will at least solve one problem. I would like to get a chance in thd board and I won’t be anyone’s puppet. Now let’s hear your wise ass answer to that. Or do you have to wait until Your puppet master Cathy Nokan gets back to you.
@el loco You still haven’t clarified your first post you gullible chest pounding blowhard. How is changing or preventing a puppet from gaining public office change or alter a political parties control.? As far as you’ve stated in your second naive rant, it still doesn’t, it just changes the puppet. The puppet master just gets a new puppet to say and do as the puppet master says. Sorry if your attention span is too short to contend with a complex sentence or post.
You are naive. I don’t have to write a long post to make my point either. We need new people on boards and in office and term limits are the answer. Otherwise the same people will be there forever. Don’t tell me that we have a choice to vote them out. I didn’t have a choice to vote several of the candidates out last November. They ram against themselves. And the dems and republicans put up and support their candidates in the primaries. How about our congressman Joe Crowley? Explain his political career. He was appointed to his seat and now we can’t get him out! That’s not democracy.
Crowley does not even live here he is a joke
@elloco Yes,I’m naive because I posted a fact stating most people don’t turn out to vote (fact)and blocking a candidate from running in a public election under a newly created term limit restriction isn’t removing power from the electorate?? That is one less choice meaning one more decision decided by a politicians decision in the form of a bill and ultimately a law. (Fact)But you get to call me naive. Please explain how a term limit stipulation is going to change the fact that political parties control who the candidates are? (These are words from your very post)I only see the puppet being controlled by the political parties mentioned in your post being changed not the political parties in control being changed. But than again I’m the naive one. You may want to rethink or reword your post. My boss Nolan would never anything worded so poorly ever leave her office. Things go a lot more civilly when you stick to topic of discussion.
This man also introduced a bill banning Horse Drawn Carriages, His political career is coming to an end, As will Jimmys if he is foolish enough to support it.
Hey I know that guy! He hangs out at flynns’s. He gets way effed up
Washington refused more than 8, didnt want to be another “KING”! How times have changed, now politicians make it a lifelong career, get kickbacks, a golden parachute and now even a building or a street named after them. I say 6 or 8 and send em off with packin with a pint from a local pub
I meant dromm lol
Yeah, take more power from the electorate. We are just way too stupid to properly vote for a candidate. This way our margin of error or “damage” is confined to just terms. The New Democratic safety net. Thanks Dromm. You know this would really matter if the truth wasn’t so few people actually turn out to vote. It’s only a little more rights, choice and liberty taken from the American citizen. No biggie.
David – you’re comments are simplistic at best. Political parties control who the candidates are. In the last election many races had only one candidate running. What kind of a choice is that? I think that you work for Kathy Nolan. She has been in office for over 20 years. Are you going to tell me there are no other qualified candidates. The system is rigged by our poetical parties. Wake up and stop being naive.
The only people voting for community board members are the rest of the lifers already on the community board. 12 years is long enough – a community board ought to represent the interests of its residents by being composed of a cross-section of them.
Yes. Get behind it Jimmy. How about state senate and assembly term limits. I’m sure Kathy Nolan won’t be for this.
Fromm is anti police scum
@luvu2 I’m no fan of Dromm or even this term limit proposal and am from a family of NYPD officers, retired and currently on the job. The only thing more annoying than Dromm and another one of his bad proposals are idiots like you who can’t stay focused on the topic of discussion.
I like the idea but 12 years is still too long. Give them 6, tops.