Leong CB4 Brooklyn on 501 and 322

Good morning, Chair Brewer and Council.

I'm Celestina Leong.

I'm the District Manager for Brooklyn Community Board 4, representing Bushwick.

And coming to the Community Board for a professional opportunity was unexpected for me, but it was a way to come back and serve my community after my family was displaced from the area.

The Community Board that hired me in 2017 is not the same board that I work for now.

We have to deal with the added layer of the transition from gentrification, which is something that's repeated itself over time in the city, but is still new to Bushwick.

I am also a founder of the Future of Community Boards Working Group.

I was very eager to learn as a new district manager, and who else better to learn from than my colleagues who have been doing this work for a very long time.

I owe a lot of what I know now to them and to also the board members who prepared me for this role.

I was facilitating that group from 2019 to about 2026 this year, when due to capacity limitations being the one full-time staff member prevented me from doing so.

But I am encouraged and empowered by my board to continue to do this work.

In regards to Intro 501, while I can appreciate the need for structure, I believe the boards need consistent support and preparation to manage staff, especially as we experience term limits.

There are inconsistent practices and access to information across the boroughs that change with each term, with each borough president's administration.

I ask, how are we retaining information or requiring transitional documentation to support incoming members?

and elected officials.

This is something that's been discussed preliminarily with colleagues in the Civic Engagement Commission while preparing on a citywide level for term limits.

In reference to Intro 322 for councilmember appointments, to my knowledge, the borough president will have the ability to appoint when the council seat is vacant, and this is something that will address a situation that occurred in the past during the pandemic at CB4.

One councilmember had resigned, and half of the board wasn't reappointed when a special election was canceled until that vacant seat was filled, which impacted representation on the board.

Alternatively, while the current appointment structure is longstanding, it leaves room for potential politicization.

I encourage city leaders to consider alternatives or other amendments that further empower community members while holding them accountable.

And there's an example you will hear.

Our precinct community and clergy councils have a process and also considering a civic lottery process in the future.

I encourage and remain hopeful for greater collaboration with the board slash board citywide.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Who's next?