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QUESTION
How has the EDC enhanced community and council engagement with the airport board, and what are the roles of the Community Advisory Council and Port Authority?
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The chapter discusses the New York City Economic Development Corporation's (EDC) efforts to engage the community and council in the airport board and the operational aspects of the Community Advisory Council.
- Jennifer Sun of the EDC emphasizes the Community Advisory Council as the main avenue for community engagement with the Port Authority and terminal operators.
- Council Member Brooks Powers questions the process of convening advisory council meetings, its frequency, and the transparency of these meetings.
- The discussion addresses the accountability of the Port Authority, exploring how the community can hold it accountable in meetings.
- Concerns are raised about the authenticity and transparency of the information presented at these meetings and the potential for discrepancies between reports shown to the EDC and those available to the public.
- The chapter concludes with discussions on enhancing public access to board meeting minutes and potentially increasing community representation on the board.
Brooks Powers
0:34:49
Within the past year plus, what has EDC done to make the airport board more community and counsel oriented.
Jennifer Sun
0:35:03
As I've learned more about the Community Advisory Council and having attended one of the meetings to understand what is covered in those presentations, and then what information is reviewed at the airport board meetings.
0:35:20
My view is that the Community Advisory Council is a very robust venue for, you know, community engagement in an opportunity with the port authority and with the terminal developers and operators in the room to have a venue for holding you know, both parties accountable through that sort of process but also see that there is an opportunity for the airport board to complement the community advisory council presentations as well.
0:35:50
That said, I think we we see the committee advisory council as being the appropriate venue for community engagement around the JFK redevelopment project.
Brooks Powers
0:36:01
Do you know how the advisory council meetings are convened.
0:36:05
Who calls for the community advisory meetings to take place?
Jennifer Sun
0:36:09
I don't know who deployed authority.
0:36:12
Okay.
Brooks Powers
0:36:13
And the frequency, the date of time, the location, is all selected by the port authority.
0:36:20
How do you imagine the community being able to hold the port authority accountable?
0:36:25
In those spaces.
0:36:27
How have you seen it in the one meeting that you have attended it?
Jennifer Sun
0:36:32
I see that there's opportunity to ask questions.
0:36:35
Although I recognize it's a very lengthy presentation, there's a lot of information that at what point of
Brooks Powers
0:36:41
the present what point of the meeting that you attended, did the community ask questions?
0:36:48
I don't Was it during the the different sections of the agenda?
0:36:54
Was it at the end?
0:36:55
Do you recall?
Jennifer Sun
0:36:56
I think there were different opportunities during the presentation.
0:36:59
It was at the end.
0:37:00
Okay.
0:37:01
Mhmm.
Brooks Powers
0:37:01
And like you said, it's a very long meeting, and people are coming in from after work.
0:37:07
And the agenda is set.
0:37:08
Do you know who sets the agenda for the advisory council meeting.
Jennifer Sun
0:37:11
It's like it's supported authority.
0:37:12
It's supported authority.
Brooks Powers
0:37:13
So when we say that there's an opportunity for the community to hold the port authority accountable in the space that they curate, not so much so.
0:37:22
But I do appreciate your sentiments on that.
0:37:25
In terms of the the two reports that you received last year.
0:37:29
Do you know if the report is identical to the report that's in the minutes that are on the website for a new JFK?
Jennifer Sun
0:37:36
I can't say that I've compared the presentations to verify whether the same information is being presented.
Brooks Powers
0:37:43
I'd be curious to know if the information mirrors one another or not because I do know that the information is presented in the advisory council meeting is not necessarily as the majority leader shared a blanket of information that you could kind of understand how they get to those numbers that they're presenting or to understand what is being presented.
0:38:07
It is curate it in a way that it's digestible to the public, but it's not giving the full authentic lens of what is at stake.
0:38:20
And so I'm curious if any fees report is the same as that report.
0:38:26
Because if so, I would argue that EDC is still not getting the full picture.
0:38:30
And then on the flip side, if EDC is getting more information that is showing that the community is not seeing full transparency.
0:38:37
So I would like to have an idea if you can report back to the council in terms of the report that EDC receives versus the report that is presented at the advice and council meetings, if they're identical, and if not, what the differences are in those reports.
Jennifer Sun
0:38:54
We're happy to do that comparison.
0:38:56
I will say superficially in looks like the same PowerPoint presentation that's shared at the Community Advisory Council.
0:39:03
We look forward to, you know, a partnership with you and the other council members to talk more specifically about what underlying data and additional performance metrics you're interested in seeing, and that EDC can play a role in asking for.
Brooks Powers
0:39:16
And I think that would be helpful.
0:39:18
And I'm glad to hear you say that.
0:39:20
And that's where, like, intro 134, it looks to do.
0:39:22
It looks to be able to pull out the relevant data to help us know one that the poor authority is holding true to some of the tenants in the in the lease, but then also to have the the transparency and accountability that's needed for it.
0:39:43
How has Just going back to the initial question, I was asking just wanting to know in terms of the airport board minutes.
0:39:57
Is has that been made published?
0:39:59
Like, has it been published publicly just yet?
0:40:02
Or no?
0:40:03
We have
Jennifer Sun
0:40:03
not been sharing minutes from the meetings.
0:40:06
No.
0:40:06
We we take staff notes.
0:40:08
It's not, you know, don't have, like, an official notetaker at the meeting to prepare minutes with the possibility of that being shared publicly.
Brooks Powers
0:40:18
Is there any intention to at some point?
Jennifer Sun
0:40:21
That is something that we need to talk with the port authority respectfully because we're a part of the board together.
0:40:26
It's not a decision that we can make unilaterally.
0:40:29
Mhmm.
0:40:30
So even if we have the point of view of being comfortable with sharing the information,
Brooks Powers
0:40:34
does CDC have that point of view that you would be willing share,
Jennifer Sun
0:40:37
that's the point of view that I have.
Brooks Powers
0:40:39
So the EDC has that point of view?
Jennifer Sun
0:40:41
Yes.
Brooks Powers
0:40:41
Has EDC asked the port authority if they would be okay, would make in it public yet?
Jennifer Sun
0:40:47
We may have had conversations about that in the past.
0:40:50
Happy to ask again and push on that.
Brooks Powers
0:40:52
That would be great.
0:40:55
Are there any new additions since our January hearing to the airport board from EDC and or the community.
Jennifer Sun
0:41:06
When you say new additions, meaning new representatives from the
Brooks Powers
0:41:09
Sidboard, from staff.
Jennifer Sun
0:41:11
Mhmm.
0:41:13
Yes.
0:41:13
From the perspective of, you know, my having participated in the 1st airport board meetings last year, so I could be new to the airport board.
0:41:21
And it to our newly hired aviation director who started in June, so he participated in the airport board meeting in December.
0:41:31
And then additionally, you know, so there's 4 marital appointees to the board.
0:41:38
In addition to 4 port authority appointees.
0:41:42
So to just complete the picture on the EDC side, I'm the EVP of Planning.
0:41:47
We have the Aviation Director from the Transportation And Waterfront Department on that board.
0:41:51
We would also have the VP and department head of Transportation And Waterfront representing EDC on that board.
0:41:58
And finally, a senior vice president from the asset management department, IEC, who we work closely with.