New Board Members

Two East Side community boards are getting eight new members this year. Borough President Scott Stringer made the appointments, with suggestions from local Council members. Of the 375 new applications Stringer"s office received for all of Manhattan"s boards, 88 were chosen. Community Board 8, which covers the East Side from 59th to 96th streets and Roosevelt Island, got four new members: A. Scott Falk, Lorance Hockert, Marisa Jahn and Laurence Parnes. Community Board 6, covering East 14th to 59th streets, gained four new members as well: Dodge Landesman, Alejandra Negrete, Beth Parise and Jose Gonzalez. At 19, Landesman, who briefly launched a City Council bid last year, will be one of the youngest community board members in the borough. Stringer has made an effort to select members with relevant expertise, and make the boards more reflective of the communities they represent. â??Our 2010 appointees for community boards 6 and 8 include a parent leader, an architect, a religious organization administrator and a hospital worker, Stringer said in a statement. â??These members will deal with some of the biggest issues facing our communities, from rezoning efforts that allow for responsible development and preserve affordable housing to incorporating community plans that address school overcrowding.