Borough president facts for kids
The borough presidents are like the main leaders for each of New York City's five big areas, called boroughs. For a long time, these leaders had a lot of power in their boroughs. They also had a say in a very important group called the New York City Board of Estimate. But this group was stopped in 1990. After that, the borough presidents lost most of their big powers in the government of New York City.
Today, borough presidents give advice to the mayor of New York City. They share their thoughts on how land is used in their borough and ask for what their borough needs when the city plans its yearly budget. They also choose some officials and people for local community groups. They are part of different city groups and committees. Mostly, they speak up for their boroughs to city offices, the city council, the New York State government, public companies, and private businesses. Their rules are written in the New York City Charter and the New York City Rules.
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History of Borough Presidents
On January 1, 1898, the areas of Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Richmond joined together to form one big city: New York City. When this happened, all the smaller town and county governments inside the city were ended. Their powers were given to the new city and its boroughs.
The five jobs of borough president were created to handle many of the tasks that mayors of Brooklyn and Long Island City used to do. They also took over jobs from towns in Queens and Richmond, and other county duties.
Over time, the areas changed a bit. In 1914, the Bronx became its own county. In 1975, the borough of Richmond officially changed its name to Staten Island.
When the city first started, borough presidents were elected for four years, just like the mayor. They had an office in their borough hall and could hire staff. This often led to a "patronage system" where jobs were given to friends or supporters.
Along with the mayor, the city's money manager (the New York City Comptroller), and the head of the New York City Council, each borough president had a vote on the New York City Board of Estimate. This Board made big decisions about the city's money and how land was used.
People said the borough president jobs were created to keep "local pride" alive after all the areas joined together.
Borough presidents slowly gained more power. They helped decide how the city's money was spent and had control over land use and contracts. Sometimes, political parties would choose faithful public servants to be borough presidents. While some borough presidents served for many years, the job was sometimes a step to other important roles, like being a judge or even mayor, like Robert F. Wagner, Jr..
However, on March 22, 1989, a very important court, the Supreme Court of the United States, said that the New York City Board of Estimate was against the rules of the country's constitution. This was because Brooklyn, the borough with the most people (2.2 million at the time), had the same number of votes on the Board as Staten Island, the borough with the fewest people (350,000). This was seen as unfair because it didn't follow the ""one person, one vote" rule.
Because of this court decision, the city made big changes to its government. These changes were approved by voters in November 1989.
After these changes, the borough presidents kept their jobs but with much less power. The mayor and City Council became in charge of the borough budgets. Today, borough presidents have a smaller amount of money they can use for projects in their boroughs. Their last big power, which was to choose members for the city's education board, ended in 2002 when the Board of Education became the Department of Education.
What Borough Presidents Do Now
Today, borough presidents mostly appoint one member to the New York City Planning Commission and two members to the New York City Panel for Educational Policy. Since 1990, they have mainly been leaders who represent their boroughs.
Officially, they:
- Give advice to the mayor on issues in their boroughs.
- Share their opinions on how land is used in their boroughs.
- Speak up for their boroughs' needs during the city's yearly budget planning.
- Appoint members to local community boards.
- Lead their borough's boards.
- Are members of various city groups and committees.
They also act as advocates for their boroughs to city agencies, the City Council, the New York State government, public companies, and private businesses.
Borough presidents are chosen by voters for four-year terms. They can serve up to two terms in a row, which is eight years.
Borough presidents also have a say in how land is developed through a process called the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). They do this by choosing members for community boards and voting on land use plans. The teams that work on economic development in each borough often work closely with the borough president.
Current Borough Presidents
The people listed below were elected or re-elected in 2021 and are the current borough presidents:
| Borough | President | Image | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 The Bronx |
Vanessa Gibson | .jpg) |
Democratic | January 1, 2022 – present |
 Brooklyn |
Antonio Reynoso |  |
Democratic | January 1, 2022 – present |
 Manhattan |
Mark Levine |  |
Democratic | January 1, 2022 – present |
 Queens |
Donovan Richards |  |
Democratic | December 2, 2020 – present |
 Staten Island |
Vito Fossella | _(cropped).jpg) |
Republican | January 1, 2022 – present |
Borough Boards
Each of the five boroughs has a borough board. These boards are made up of the borough president, city council members from that borough, and the head of each community board in the borough.
Borough boards can:
- Hold public or private meetings.
- Create their own rules.
- Make plans and suggestions for land use.
- Help solve disagreements between different community areas.
- Share their ideas for what the borough needs in terms of money and projects.
- Check how well new projects are going and how good city services are.
- Think about other needs of their borough.
Community Boards
New York City has 59 community boards. Each board has up to 50 volunteer members. The borough president appoints half of these members, and the other half come from suggestions by City Council members.
Community boards:
- Give advice on land use and zoning (rules about how land can be used).
- Take part in the city's budget process.
- Help with how services are delivered in their area.
Community boards give advice, but they do not have the power to make or enforce laws.
See also
- 2021 New York City borough president elections
- Government of New York City
- Government and politics of the Bronx
- Government of Staten Island
- List of New York City borough halls and municipal buildings
- List of borough presidents of New York City
