OPINION: We the people – Would like a say in NYC budget decision making
This week, 22 members of the New York City Council announced that they will incorporate participatory budgeting in their districts as part of the decision making for the 2015-2016 city budget. This is great news for the people throughout the five boroughs and the 43% of the districts that are involving the people they represent in the budget process. However, it is my belief that this number should be even higher, and that all New York City residents should have that chance.
There is no downside, as far as I can tell, in allowing the taxpayers of the greatest city in the world, in the best and most powerful democracy ever created, to have input in how their tax dollars are spent in their communities. I can think of no better way to decide what needs improvement than to talk to the people who go to our parks, schools, libraries, senior centers and more. All 51 Council Districts should welcome participatory budgeting in their communities.
I remember during the 2013 campaign, residents of the 43rd District regularly made suggestions about funding priorities. Many folks hoped for the idea of building more senior housing, and others wanted improved accessibility at senior centers. Many others often spoke of the needs in their child’s school, and one mother of a disabled child sought accommodations for the handicapped in the local park.
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.