Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Older White Men Make Up Majority of Applicants for UES Community Board

By Shaye Weaver | February 22, 2016 11:20am
 The majority of people who applied to Community Board 8 are white.
The majority of people who applied to Community Board 8 are white.
View Full Caption
City Records

UPPER EAST SIDE — Older, white men make up the majority of those who are vying for a seat on the Upper East Side's Community Board 8 — despite small increases of applications from other ethnic groups.

The number of applicants across all boards was up 15 percent, roughly 800 this year in total, and there has been an increase in the diversity of applicants, according to Jesus Perez, a spokesman for Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

At CB8, 80 percent of the 55 applicants to Community Board 8 are white and roughly 9 percent are African-American, according to city data.

The ratio was similar for the district, with eighty percent of Upper East Siders identifying as white and three percent as black, according to Census data.

Roughly 5 percent of applicants said they were Latino or Hispanic, almost 4 percent were East Asian or a Pacific Islander, and more than 7 percent identified as LGBT.

There are substantially more women than men living on the Upper East Side — more than 122,000 as compared to 97,000, according to the Census — but men filed more applications than women.

Those who are older seem to be the most interested group — more than 45 percent of applicants are 60 or older, followed by more than 16 percent who are in their 30s.

On the other end of the spectrum, Community Board 8 had one teenager apply for a seat.

Most applicants live in the district and in co-ops, according to the data. Only one person said they lived in public housing.

Roughly 62 percent of applicants would be newcomers to the board, as well.

Citywide, African-American applications jumped from 86 last year to 139 this year, according to Perez.

"When our boards' applicant pool grows larger and more diverse, all our neighborhoods benefit,” Brewer said in a statement.

Every two years, the volunteers — who are appointed by their relevant City Council member and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer — have to reapply for membership.

Applicants must live, work, study or have a connection to the community board they're applying to serve in order to qualify. They must also have expertise in an area like preservation or small business management, a deep community knowledge or a unique and diverse perspective.

This year roughly 300 seats are open across Manhattan, with 25 vacancies on each board.

Screening of applications and interviews will take place in February and March. Board appointments won't be announced until early April.