What Should I Say At a Board Meeting?

The public comment period is for you to let the Board hear what you think or feel about any issue that comes within its authority. You might have an alternative idea or you might just want to let them know why you do or do not like their idea.

Making it Personal Makes it Real

• You don’t have to be a technical expert to speak to city officials. You are the expert on how city regulations affect you.
  
• Making it personal helps make it real. By speaking to a city official, you give the official a real face and story to think about when making a decision.

So What Should I Say?

• Tell them who you are (name and occupation, for example)
• Tell them your story or your ideas
• Tell them how their decisions affect you personally

EXAMPLES of What You Could Say

• Hi, my name is Mohammad Latif, and I have been driving taxi for 7 years. The gate fee is already too high. I don’t even want to think about how much more it will cost me just to go to work once medallions are being bought up. Already, this economy is so bad that I have a hard time making a profit on my shift, and I have no health insurance or pension plan. If I have to pay even more for the gates when people are paying more for medallions, I will have to find other work. Many of us dedicated, experienced drivers will have to look elsewhere for work. Please do not sell our futures with the medallions. Thank you.
  
• Hello. I am Jane Lee, and I am here to ask you to keep Prop K. Please do not start selling medallions just to make money for the city. It will be a disaster for cab drivers. We’ve heard about New York sold them and made a lot of money. But have you heard that in New York the drivers can never catch up financially? Here we are, an industry without much debt, and you want us to start taking out big loans to give you more money to get out of debt. Please, do something for us! We will pay a fee on our medallions for health care and other basic human necessities. But please do not force us into debt just so you can make a dent in yours. Thank you.