The most important job of a City Council Member is to engage with local constituents. I’ve spent my career working on creating more responsive governance, and I know the number one rule is that people want to be heard, and government works better when it listens.

We need the basics - a continuously open district office and constituent requests that are answered in a timely manner, but that’s just the start. I know from my work that it is particularly important to proactively engage disengaged communities (many of whom face barriers to engagement.) I will host monthly town halls that meet people where they are (at senior centers, places of worship, gyms, parks, bars, libraries community centers) with virtual engagement options for those who cannot join in person (including people with mobility issues or care obligations) and opportunities to send feedback and ideas via phone or send a video recording with sign language. I also know from my work with legislators that many constituents may not know who to contact about an issue or where to find their council member: I will work with my staff to set up “constituent service” tables at parks and other public spaces so that people can resolve their issues.

In a diverse district, we need culturally competent and varied engagement opportunities that are created together with those with different lived experiences. I speak four languages (English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic) and have worked on getting information on government and voting out to non-English speaking communities. I will prioritize creating non-English language opportunities for engagement and hiring staff with different language skills and lived experiences. Another step is to invest in youth engagement, something I’m very passionate about as a college professor. Let’s continue with youth councils, but also invest in more internship programs for high school and college aged young people, more civic education in coordination with the NYC civic engagement commission.

Community boards are an amazing tool for engagement, but we have to make sure they are truly representative and accessible. When there is an opaque appointment process controlled by the Borough President, meetings are at night, and board members are not compensated in any way, we shouldn’t be surprised our community boards are not representative of our community. I’ve worked with other countries that have engagement platforms and we know that providing childcare and transportation subsidies, flexible meeting and engagement times, and a transparent appointment process are crucial to creating real engagement. We must bring that to our community boards.

 As a Council Member, engaging with the community will be my number one priority.