Julie Menin Community Board 1 Chair

If you live in New York City and don't think you know the name Julie Menin, you probably haven't been paying attention. If you're not from the area or you're new to the area, you will come across her name soon enough. Julie Menin is the chairperson for Community Board 1 which comprises the southernmost part of Lower Manhattan below Canal Street. That's some pretty lauded real estate which includes Tribeca, the Financial District, and Battery Park City. However this little corner of the Island was not always so exclusive. We all remember the events of almost10 years ago which are fast approaching their decade anniversary.

Julie Menin is very cognizant of the past but she's also mindful of the present and the future. This may be what makes her such an effective leader; such an powerful arbiter of reason in a city cast askance. We got to speak for a little more than an hour about her battles for common sense, her motivation for action, and her plans for a better tomorrow; in Lower Manhattan and beyond.

Many people from outside of New York City may not even really know what the use of a Community Board is. What's the point? Don't you have local representatives to see your interests are handled? Not exactly. Actually Menin would argue that Community Boards aren't really appreciated until they stop doing their work.

"Community boards are incredibly important," says Menin, "It's the grassroots," she emphasizes, "it's democracy in action."

Menin first became Community Board chair in 2005 and recalls "we were seeing development all over the neighborhood."

However the numbers on the city side of things and the growth they saw with their own eyes didn't exactly jive.

"The city came in and said that growth was "X" but we were clearly seeing that wasn't the case."

Employing volunteers and students, the door-to-door actions of Community Board 1 were able to present New York City the true numbers of who was living downtown.

Grassroots democracy in action.

"People who aren't familiar with community boards deride them; it's my job to show that community boards really do matter.

The site of P.S. 276 for example is one way that the Community Board sprung into action for the good of the community. This site "was supposed to be a women's museum," spearheaded by the wife of then governor George Pataki, Libby. But the area clearly needed schools and Menin, who would rather see actions than stagnation rolled up her sleeves and broke down the inside interests with her own set of facts.

"I started calling on the site to be a school. In the beginning everyone said 'you're never going to win' and 'the community board's never going to be successful.'"

But she was. Some would argue that Julie Menin seems something of an agitator. But she's actually very sweet. She just doesn't see much use in anything wasted. Especially useless is succumbing to others negative thoughts when you're sure you're on the side of right.

"There's always going to be naysayers in anything that you do," remarked Menin. "If you listen to them you'll never get anything done."

Julie Menin used to be a regulatory lawyer in Washington. She has something of her own "I love New York" story relating back to her getting involved in public service. 9/11 was the inciting event that launched Menin into action, but not in the way you might think.

Menin owned a restaurant and catering service in the financial district; kitty corner the NY Stock Exchange. When 9/11 hit, it obviously hit her hard. Yes the financial pains she felt were real but also because; "this was my neighborhood. We couldn't get any deliveries because we were in the frozen zone."

She may have just been an unfortunate restaurant owner had it not been for the reactions of her insurance provider towards the 9/11 event.

Of course, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 no one could have known how bad things were going to be. But in an area which didn't have regular service back to all parts of it for months and in a very impressionable time for everyone, it was the actions of her insurance company which set her aflame.

"The insurance company took the position that we were only entitled to five days worth of business interruption insurance. I said to them you really don't want to take that position. The fact that they took this callous position was so infuriating to me."

The way the insurance companies took to the PR offensive further rattled Menin's cage.

"It really bothered me because they were taking out these full page ads in the NY times that said, 'We're here with you New York.' and it's baloney."

It was these events which led her to create Wall Street Rising. Wall Street Rising was her own way of helping small businesses create foot traffic back to lower Manhattan.

"My view of this is this is where I live this is where I work; you've got to give back -- I had a duty to help rebuild my neighborhood." The principles of synchronicity may have as much to do with this as causality because as Menin says, " -- once you get involved, you can't stop."

We touched on many other topics; the building of schools, her opposition to complacency, clashes she has had with people in power including Mayor Mike, and other successes and failures which she has endured. At the end of the day though, for Menin and for Community Board 1, it's really all about the endgame.

"I am someone who's dedicated to getting results -- I think when you have enormous problems like we do in New York you need to come up with ideas to solve them. What do we do, how do we get through this, what's the best way, what's our plan of attack, what's our solution, how are we going to get from point A to point B and get it done."

"When I talk to people about city government they are so fed up with the bureaucracy."

How do you combat that?

"You have to be able to lead and lead with integrity."

There will be more information pending about the 9/11 anniversary, how people can help and where people can go to observe. Menin promised information would break on 8/11 for the 9/11 anniversary.

Menin also promised that the event will be a "wonderfully inclusive, very grassroots event that all New Yorkers can be a part of."

What's next for Julie Menin? We'll see!