NYC has a lot of different agencies and offices doing various kinds of outreach and civic engagement work. But it’s nearly impossible as a regular person to know where to go when you want to get involved in your community.
Having a Civic Engagement Commission tasked with supporting and coordinating all the government and nonprofit efforts across NYC will make it a lot easier for more New Yorkers to have a say in the decisions that affect their everyday lives.
Also, the proposed Civic Engagement Commission will support NYC democracy beyond and between elections. The Campaign Finance Board, their Voter Assistance Advisory Committee, and NYC Votes only focus on traditional elections. Participatory budgeting and the proposed Civic Engagement Commission, on the other hand, will be able to include young people and NYC residents regardless of citizenship status.