What is a Borough President? 

Borough Presidents (BPs) are the highest elected officials in each of New York City’s five boroughs. Through the role, BPs advocate for the needs of their borough’s residents, control a portion of the city’s budget, play a role in the land use process, and appoint members of Community Boards. 

ADVOCATE

Borough Presidents can use the office as a bully pulpit to advocate for the borough as a whole. By using their platform, BPs have the ability to draw attention to issues facing residents and can then leverage their position to achieve meaningful action to address the most pressing issues facing residents. 

As Borough President, Antonio will use his depth of experience as an activist, public servant, and coalition builder to pull our Borough together in the aftermath of COVID, finally addressing the long standing inequities laid bare by the pandemic, and ensure that Brooklyn is on the forefront of bold, progressive policymaking. 

 CAPITAL BUDGET

Each of the city’s five Borough presidents receive about 1% of the City’s budget to fund capital projects, like schools and parks, in their borough.

 As Borough President, Antonio will use the capital budget to invest in communities that have been shortchanged for far too long. Antonio’s Capital Budget priorities will include achieving a just COVID recovery by investing in the resources that our communities need to thrive, including high quality schools, and taking on Brooklyn’s maternal health crisis by investing in state-of-the art birthing centers in all of Brooklyn’s public hospitals.

 LAND USE 

Borough Presidents weigh in on development projects that need public approval with an advisory vote and written decision. While their input is not binding, it is influential and can sway the outcome of the project. 

 As a Council Member, Antonio has always stood up to big developers and fought to ensure that development projects meet the needs of residents in the community. As Borough President, Antonio will use the office’s land use oversight powers and bully pulpit to fight for responsible planning and development practices and the creation of deeply affordable housing in every community district. 

 COMMUNITY BOARDS

Borough Presidents appoint all members of community boards, local bodies that weigh in on everything ranging from local land use matters to restaurants’ liquor licenses to bike lanes. 

 As Borough President, Antonio will significantly reform Brooklyn Community Boards to make them more representative of the communities they serve and equipped with the resources and expertise they need. Antonio understands that we have a lot of work to do to empower our community boards so that they can reach their full potential.