YIMBY Blog: Why you (yes you!) should serve as a local commissioner

You’re watching yet another commission hearing for your local zoning administrator board or planning commission, waiting for your turn to speak a minute or two for a housing proposal in your jurisdiction. You say your piece, sit down, and listen to the usual mix of weird NIMBY vitriol about parking or “those people” peppered as well as your fellow YIMBYs. And you wonder, how did these commissioners end up with so much influence anyway? How did they become commissioners?

These commissions are frequently the difference between housing moving forward or quietly dying in an obscure meeting. We must get more YIMBYs involved in local government so we can get more homes built! Here’s how the process works:

The basics:

• Look on your city’s website for a list of commissions, vacancies & requirements
• Most people don’t get top commission appointments right away, especially in larger cities. Be open to serving on a commission or advisory board that may be a stepping stone to a more prominent commission.
• Commissions are for lay people! (That means people just like you!) Don't be intimidated. Use the organizing and relationship-building skills you already have.

Now for the fun stuff – how are commission members picked and approved?

Every city’s rules are different. And even within a city, each commission often has different rules. In some places, the mayor can unilaterally decide who sits on which boards. In others, nominees need to meet specific requirements and be ratified by other bodies. Some municipalities struggle to get anyone to serve and getting appointed is as simple as volunteering. But some will put you through the wringer!

When I was nominated for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), it was a Mayoral appointment that required a majority vote at the Board of Supervisors. There was no limit on how long they could sit on my nomination, which they did for 4 months! When I was appointed to the Airport Commission, my appointment could only be overturned by a supermajority vote of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days. Those distinctions matter because they inform whether you are in for a fight, what kinds of votes you need to rally, and the kinds of tactics to pursue. Learn the mechanics of the appointment, the length of the appointment, and when new seats may be up.

A great way to get this information is to talk with friendly commissioners or board members who serve on a body you are interested in. If you're struggling to find a warm introduction, often their email addresses are publicly available. In addition to learning more about what the actual work of serving looks like, they can help clue you in on other good people to build relationships with, when a seat might be open, and what kind of skills you can work on to increase your chances of serving down the road.

Be upfront about your goals. There’s nothing wrong with expressing your interest in a position, even one that may not be open just yet, especially if you are engaging with someone who might be making that appointment down the road. That can be as simple as saying you’d love to serve on a local body or commission. There may not be an opening yet, but it’s a great way to make sure you are on the list if an opening comes along.

Think strategically about how publicly you want to fly your YIMBY flag. Sometimes, there is no hiding from the credentials you’ve built up, and there’s no reason to, but people will still attack you for it. When I was nominated for the SFMTA, I did not set out to play up my YIMBYness, but I also didn’t hide from it. While our local electeds twisted themselves into knots to deny my appointment (and ultimately did), they came up with all sorts of silly reasons to deny it, but the real reason is they did not want to put someone with YIMBY cred in power.

Of course, much of that has shifted since then, as we have card-carrying YIMBYs getting those same appointments in San Francisco only a few years later! Part of what changed was how embarrassingly thin the reasons were for rejecting me. While it didn’t necessarily feel great to go through the process and be rejected like that, it also has been a catalyst for change in our politics locally which has led to more pro-housing folks getting elected and appointed! I went into that nomination knowing rejection was a likely outcome and hoping to pave the way for people to follow me and succeed. And they have.

And finally, now is the perfect time to get involved. Most commissions have openings in the new year, so get on your city’s website and see what’s open!

Good luck!