"representative of all the people who live within their boundaries."

Michael, neighborhood associations have NEVER represented all the people in their neighborhoods any more than your state rep and senator represent all the people in their districts. They, like most elected politicians, represent those that help them get elected. Period.

Neighborhood associations are social gatherings that are useful to the city to disseminate information down to the neighborhood level. They have little to no policy making influence on city hall, unless the commissioners are already predisposed to their point of view.