Teens taking over community boards?
Lawmakers want rule changed to allow 16-year-olds to serve
Residents as young as 16 would be able to take seats on the city’s 59 community boards if a movement in the State Legislature to lower the age of eligibility is successful.
This week, the City Council’s Governmental Operations Committee voted unanimously to approve a resolution introduced by Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Upper East Side) at the suggestion of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer that calls on the full council to support a bill in the State Legislature that would amend the state’s Public Officers Law and would allow for a change in the City Charter to allow young people to serve.
The state bill was introduced by state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Queens).
Under current law, community board members have to be at last 18 years of age to be able to serve as full voting members.