Carroll Gardeners Want Tax Dollars for Green Initiatives, Community Spaces

The flourescent halls of were abuzz with anticipation Thursday night as more than 80 residents of Carroll Gardens and surrounding neighborhoods filtered into the school's auditorium for a .

The forum, hosted by Brad Lander and with support from John Heyer II and Maria Pagano of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, was held to educate residents on the goals of Lander's groundbreaking participatory budgeting project, and to provide a public discussion and informal brainstorming session for local residents to decide how their government spends tax-payers' dollars.

“Let's take an informal poll,” said Pagano at the beginning of the forum. “Clap your hands if you're happy with how the government is spending your money.”

The comment was met with silence from the crowd.

“Stomp your feet if you think you could do a better job,” Pagano continued.

This time, the high ceilings of the auditorium rumbled as residents moved their feet.

The evening drew a green crowd – projects suggested ranged from improving recycling facilities to gardens and solar panels in public school buildings to development of a natural refuge and green infrastructure along the Gowanus Canal, to green roofs installed in poorly-performing schools. And those are just a few of the environmentally conscious ideas suggested.

Other popular choices included a dog run in Carroll Park, the development of commuity centers and allocation of public space throughout the neighborhood, including public art under the BQE. Proposals ranged from winterizing spaces for schools during the colder months, in the form of weather-proof bubbles to allow physical activity and space for students, to improving lighting along the length of Ninth Street.

The proposals were voted on by residents, and will be catalogued and considered.

Heyer began the meeting with a slideshow, which outlined the specifics of the program. Participatory budgeting can fund capital projects only – expense projects are not eligible.

Residents voiced a number of initial concerns, such as smaller neighborhoods being marginalized due to fewer representative voters, and the fact that the proposed $1 million of funding will not stretch across projects from Borough Park to Park Slope.

“This program calls upon peoples' democratic best selves,” said Lander. “We will not only be taking the best ideas, but will be taking the best ideas with the most votes.

Lander said the goal of the meeting was “For all of us to listen to each other."

“At this time, there is a mistrust of government,” he said. “It feels like we're on shaky ground. We can restore that confidence by coming out together, sticking with the process.”

This is the first experiment in participatory budgeting in the state of New York, and only the second documented program of its kind in the United States.

“It's been a lot of work,” said Lander. “We're trying to make sure there is a good spread of projects. But at the end of the day, it's a democratic decision.”

“This has a momentum of its own,” mused Pagano between the formal presentation and the meetings of nine small groups, let by community volunteers. “People have been really interested in seeing what could happen. People are committed to this."

At the end of the meeting, residents gathered once more in the auditorium to share ideas and look at the project going forward.

“How much did you say you had?” one community-member called out to the Councilmember jokingly.

“We have a lot of work to do, and not enough money, for sure,” Lander said. “But the good news is, particpatory budgeting begins tonight, it does not end.”