Community Board: Civics Not Invited
At our February West Flushing Civic meeting, we expressed concerns about aircraft pollution, sanitation, exhausts from tour buses, obstruction of sidewalks, and filthy sidewalks ... to name a few.
Now it just so happens that Community Board 7 meets every month with commissioners from Police, Fire, Sanitation, Environmental Protection, Buildings Department, you name it, to discuss city service needs in our community.
(By the way, aren't they doing a wonderful job?)
Business and merchant associations are always invited to these District Service Cabinet Meetings, but civics representing Flushing residents are never invited. Because many of our concerns involve poor service from these very agencies, we have an interest in attending these meetings.
Democracy is based on the conviction that we have the ability, as well as the inalienable right, to govern ourselves with reason and justice, Harry Truman once said.
It was agreed that I would call Community Board 7 to request that we be invited to future District Service Cabinet meetings. So I called.
The district manager, Marilyn Bitterman, was on vacation, I was told, and so I'd have to wait for an answer. A few days later, Ms. Bitterman's assistant, Louise Ognibene, called to tell me that Ms. Bitterman had called from Florida and turned us down. If she were to invite us, I was told, she would have to invite all the civics. Well, they should invite all the civics. But it seems that from the Community Board's standpoint, that would add up to an overdose of democracy.
I also was told that if anything in our civic area were to be discussed during a meeting, we would be invited for that meeting. However, I've been president for more than four years and we've never been invited, so one could conclude that they haven't spent any time addressing problems in our area.
So every month when Ms. Bitterman sits at the table with officials from Sanitation, Police, etc., she never discusses the needs of residents? Because if she did, we?’re told, we would be invited. And we're not, so apparently she doesn't.
And come to think of it, as I walk through Flushing, it sure looks that way, and it sure smells that way.
Moreover, isn't it interesting that business leaders who cover the same geographical area attend each meeting? Apparently, only issues relevant to the business community are covered at each meeting and the needs of residents are never addressed.
Ms. Bitterman has not only failed to invite us, she has now actively shut the door in our faces, sending out a clear signal that she doesn't care about our concerns. This is yet another example of the double standard applied by Community Board 7?’s District Manager, accommodating business interests and shunning residents.
How do our community board members feel about Ms. Bitterman's policy?
How does our new borough president, Helen Marshall, feel about this outrageous behavior? I've placed a call, and I'm waiting for a response.
Or Councilman John Liu? Or our state and federal officials seeking re-election this year?
Will the state or city Open Meetings laws protect our rights? Who will enforce them?
In the meantime, there's no substitute for grassroots people power. We certainly are entitled to attend those meetings, and we must demand our rights.
If you are a concerned resident or a civic leader who would like to see Flushing get better police protection, ensure prompt response to fires and medical emergencies, enforcement of zoning and building codes, cleaner air, less traffic congestion, less sloppy garbage pickup, etc., this is the first step?—access to those who run the agencies.
To help reverse the destruction of Flushing, please join us.
Support our fight for open and responsible government. Click below to reply and let us know you care. Thank you.
At our February West Flushing Civic meeting, we expressed concerns about aircraft pollution, sanitation, exhausts from tour buses, obstruction of sidewalks, and filthy sidewalks ... to name a few.
Now it just so happens that Community Board 7 meets every month with commissioners from Police, Fire, Sanitation, Environmental Protection, Buildings Department, you name it, to discuss city service needs in our community.
(By the way, aren't they doing a wonderful job?)
Business and merchant associations are always invited to these District Service Cabinet Meetings, but civics representing Flushing residents are never invited. Because many of our concerns involve poor service from these very agencies, we have an interest in attending these meetings.
Democracy is based on the conviction that we have the ability, as well as the inalienable right, to govern ourselves with reason and justice, Harry Truman once said.
It was agreed that I would call Community Board 7 to request that we be invited to future District Service Cabinet meetings. So I called.
The district manager, Marilyn Bitterman, was on vacation, I was told, and so I'd have to wait for an answer. A few days later, Ms. Bitterman's assistant, Louise Ognibene, called to tell me that Ms. Bitterman had called from Florida and turned us down. If she were to invite us, I was told, she would have to invite all the civics. Well, they should invite all the civics. But it seems that from the Community Board's standpoint, that would add up to an overdose of democracy.
I also was told that if anything in our civic area were to be discussed during a meeting, we would be invited for that meeting. However, I've been president for more than four years and we've never been invited, so one could conclude that they haven't spent any time addressing problems in our area.
So every month when Ms. Bitterman sits at the table with officials from Sanitation, Police, etc., she never discusses the needs of residents? Because if she did, we?’re told, we would be invited. And we're not, so apparently she doesn't.
And come to think of it, as I walk through Flushing, it sure looks that way, and it sure smells that way.
Moreover, isn't it interesting that business leaders who cover the same geographical area attend each meeting? Apparently, only issues relevant to the business community are covered at each meeting and the needs of residents are never addressed.
Ms. Bitterman has not only failed to invite us, she has now actively shut the door in our faces, sending out a clear signal that she doesn't care about our concerns. This is yet another example of the double standard applied by Community Board 7?’s District Manager, accommodating business interests and shunning residents.
How do our community board members feel about Ms. Bitterman's policy?
How does our new borough president, Helen Marshall, feel about this outrageous behavior? I've placed a call, and I'm waiting for a response.
Or Councilman John Liu? Or our state and federal officials seeking re-election this year?
Will the state or city Open Meetings laws protect our rights? Who will enforce them?
In the meantime, there's no substitute for grassroots people power. We certainly are entitled to attend those meetings, and we must demand our rights.
If you are a concerned resident or a civic leader who would like to see Flushing get better police protection, ensure prompt response to fires and medical emergencies, enforcement of zoning and building codes, cleaner air, less traffic congestion, less sloppy garbage pickup, etc., this is the first step?—access to those who run the agencies.
To help reverse the destruction of Flushing, please join us.
Support our fight for open and responsible government. Click below to reply and let us know you care. Thank you.
