Occupy the community boards!
Pro-biking group Transportation Alternatives wants its members to peddle their influence by joining their local community boards so they can advocate for more bike lanes.
The group sent out a mass e-mail and posted a note on its Web site encouraging its members to attend “Transportation Alternatives’ 2011 Community Board Join-Up Jamboree,” where they can sign up for their boards.
The City Council recently passed a measure requiring more community-board input when the city installs new bike lanes.
City Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx), chair of the Transportation Committee and a bike-lane critic, blasted the pro-biking group’s influence peddling.
“If such a ‘jamboree’ was held by real-estate developers in any neighborhood in the city, I think there would be a hue and cry, and rightfully so,” Vacca said. “We don’t want any board to be dominated by any particular interest.”
Transportation Alternatives spokesman Michael Murphy shot back, “We are empowering residents to get involved in their own communities. I can’t think of anything more democratic than that.”
He also took a jab at Vacca, who was a community-board district manager for 26 years before becoming a councilman.
“It’s pretty ironic that Chairman Vacca, the self-proclaimed champion of community process, is criticizing us for encouraging local residents to participate in community process.”
The five borough presidents appoint members to the city’s 59 community boards.