City Councilwoman Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) kicked off Vote Week for Participatory Budgeting projects in her district last Saturday in Richmond Hill.
Representatives and members of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens, Queens Library, the Caribbean Equality Project, the Indo Caribbean Alliance, Girls for Gender Equality, and Richmond Hill High School joined Adams in casting her five votes at Lefferts Library located at 103-34 Lefferts Blvd. on March 30th.
“I’m so excited to bring the power of local decision-making to District 28 for the first time,” said Adams. “Residents are in the best position to bring positive changes to their communities by deciding which projects should be given priority in their neighborhoods. What I love about this process is that it is open to everyone regardless of status, and will include the input of residents as young 11 years old.”
District 28 includes Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, and residents from these neighborhoods have from now until April 7th to decide how to allocate more than $1 million of nearly 20 line items that will provide additional funds towards transportation, schools, libraries, NYCHA, the NYPD and parks, according to Adams.
Leaders from Chhaya CDC and the Thomas White Jr. Foundation were also at the event held at the library.
“For too long the South Asian and Indo Caribbean communities have been alienated from the civic process, especially in South Queens,” said Jagpreet Singh, lead organizer at Chhaya Community Development Corporation. “PB has been revolutionary in helping counter that. With multiple voting days, ballots translated in languages that make sense to the community, the ability to vote regardless of citizenship, able to vote in the comfort of your own home, and much more have allowed our communities unprecedented access to these elections.”
Residents as young 11-years-old can vote online at pbnyc.org/vote or they can find their poll site at Adams’ City Council webpage to decide which five capital projects they want to get funded.
“PB should serve as an example of elections done right, in a way that’s inclusive for all,” said Singh. “We are grateful Councilwoman Adrienne Adams took the charge in bringing PB to Richmond Hill and we look forward to working year after year to ensure that our communities have access to the civic process.”
Lamar White, the program coordinator of the organization that provides social services in Downtown Jamaica – the Thomas White Jr. Foundation shared the same sentiments with Singh.
“It is an honor to be working with Council Member Adrienne Adams and staff, we believe that the Participatory Budget is a great way to get the community involved in the capital budget process and allow constituents to voice their own ideas,” said White.
Adams is happy to be the first council member in City Council District 28 to introduce Participatory Budgeting to her constituents.
“I’m proud to amplify the voices of my constituents through this exciting initiative. I look forward to a historic PB cycle,” said Adams.
