CSNDC’s Director of Community Organizing and Resident Engagement, Marilyn Forman, has been appointed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to the Participatory Budgeting External Oversight Board. This newly-formed entity will help coordinate a process that helps residents weigh in on how tax money is spent.
The board will work closely with the Office of Participatory Budgeting to establish and manage a participatory budgeting process that will be open to all Boston residents. The board will be made up of public finance experts, community leaders, current and former public sector employees, all of whom are Boston residents and will serve a two year term.
“I’m excited to announce the members of our Participatory Budgeting External Oversight Board, who will shape Boston’s work to connect every resident to decision-making on our shared resources and budget investments,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I look forward to their leadership in this important civic engagement opportunity.”
“Participatory budgeting provides residents with a unique opportunity to engage directly in the important work of developing the City budget and allocating resources,” said Chief Financial Officer Ashley Groffenberger. “The inaugural Participatory Budgeting External Oversight Board will play a crucial role in developing this new process for direct participation for residents while also keeping the City’s overall fiscal health in mind.”
Working with the office, the external oversight board will assist in the creation of the policies and procedures for participatory budgeting to ensure an inclusive process. The board will also support and oversee the implementation of each participatory budgeting cycle, submitting selected project proposals to Mayor Wu consistent with the legal authority of the City for public spending.
The Participatory Budgeting External Oversight Board members are:
- Betsy Cowan Neptune, Executive Director, BUILD
- Carla Stovell, Real Estate Agent, EXIT Bayside Realty
- Carolline de Paula, Director of Adult Education, Jackson Mann Community School
- Esther Chong Weathers, Associate Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
- Jarret Wright, Deputy Director of Corporate Security, Massachusetts Port Authority
- Jim Kennedy, Retired member of the Office of Budget Management, City of Boston
- Khalid Mustafa, Coaching Supervisor, Fathers’ Uplift
- Lisa Hy, Program Manager, Tufts Medical Center Community Benefits and Health Initiatives
- Marilyn Forman, Director of Community Organizing and Resident Engagement, Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
Participatory budgeting in City spending will provide an official point of entry for residents to contribute to the city’s budget process. Through community partnerships and interdepartmental collaboration, the Office of Participatory Budgeting and External Oversight Board will facilitate yearly in-person and online public engagement. These efforts will help inform the City’s budget process and provide opportunities for the public to propose creative new ideas and solutions to address local needs.
The office, created by an ordinance approved by the City Council in February 2023, will provide the structure necessary to enhance public engagement and direct involvement in the City’s budget. The purpose of the office is to further public engagement and direct democratic involvement, and to align with the City’s goals of achieving and embedding equity and inclusion into City practices, as well as building collective capacity on issues of racial and social justice.
