all aboard

I am now on the board of the Jamaica Estates Association.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz administers the oath of office

Before I go on, I should note that the JEA is not an HOA. We cannot dictate what colors people paint their houses, we can't fine people if their lawns are unkempt, and (perhaps most fundamentally) no one is obligated to join the JEA. I have very mixed feelings about HOAs in general -- I can see their value for homeowners who want to protect the value of their houses, but with political sensibilities that are informed by libertarianism I bristle at the extra layer of authority.

But the JEA is a neighborhood civic organization, Membership, though encouraged, is purely optional. And, the simple fact is that anyone could, if he or she wanted to, create an organization to compete with it. A variety of its activities help to get the residents to know each other and to foster a sense of community. It sponsors a neighborhood security patrol which I believe helps deter crime. And through its activism it has the ears of a variety of local politicians.

I've lived in the neighborhood for the last 18 years,* and for most of that time I simply paid my dies without getting particularly involved. I attended an occasional meeting, but that was pretty much it. The change started last year when one of the board members pushed for a gardening club.I joined, and somehow ended up being the club's secretary. The club is still small and trying to find its footing.

Earlier this year, when the club was doing a public project -- planting in the public triangle at the corner of Midland Parkway and Surrey Place -- I was approached by one of the leaders of the JEA about joining the board.

So here I am. The fact is, I love this neighborhood, and I welcome (though I am admittedly intimidated by) the chance to help. I will likely be working on the landscaping committee and on helping with the Association's social media footprint.

*I also grew up in Jamaica Estates, so all in all I've lived in the area for about 40 years.