As we report in this issue, Community Board 7 has embarked on a process to hire a district manager.

Community boards aren’t generally well known by community residents, but they should be because they essentially function as local branches of city government. The rap against them is they aren’t powerful because they mostly serve as an advisory body to City Hall and city agencies.

But like a muscle, they can be quite strong when exercised on a regular basis. Community boards with active, informed members garner the attention and respect of city officials. On some issues, the city may go against the decision of a local board, but when a board does its homework and takes firm stances on issues, or agitates for attention to local problems, the bureaucrats take notice.

The district manager position is critical to this function. Without an effective manager to hound and work with agency officials, to help identify solutions to local problems, and to provide the board with the information it needs, a Board cannot be effective.

We are pleased that Board Chair Greg Faulkner has chosen to make the process to choose a new district manager as public and open as possible.

We think that will enable the Board to come to the best decision as to who to hire for what is essentially a city-sized area of 141,000 people.