Crown Heights board leader quits amid ‘dysfunction’

June 27, 2019 Lore Croghan

Community Board 9 Chairperson Patricia Baker announces she’s dropping out of her re-election race. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

A special meeting to finish executive officer elections

Community boards normally recess during July and August. But Community Board 9, whose district includes South Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Wingate and parts of North Flatbush, has unfinished business.

As it turns out, one major piece of business it must take care of this summer is completing its executive officer elections.

After Baptiste spoke, a police officer appeared and told the board it was time to vacate the room. (The meeting was held in the sweltering auditorium of Middle School 61.)

CB9 members fill out Executive Officer ballots. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan — CB9 members fill out executive officer ballots. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

Nominations Committee members frantically passed out paper ballots. Members began filling them in. In the hubbub, board members objected to being rushed.

Baker then said a special meeting will be held to continue the election process and the meeting was adjourned.

Community boards are required to hold annual elections for chairperson, first and second vice chairpersons, secretary, treasurer and two members at large.

Back to square one on district manager vacancy

During the meeting, the board voted to table until September a discussion about whether the Search Committee that worked all spring to select district manager candidates should start the process all over again, or if a new Search Committee should be created.

At a June 11 special meeting, the board voted on three candidates for the job. But Baker nullified the results of the vote because several people in the room declined to participate.

On Wednesday night, Search Committee Chairperson Rashidah Siddiqui told the board that the city’s Corporation Counsel later advised the board it could tabulate the June 11 vote.

Job candidate Michelle McClymont received eight votes, candidate Charles Jackson got five votes and candidate Andrew Kunkes received no votes, Siddiqui said.

In order for there to be a winner, one of the candidates needed to receive 13 votes, Siddiqui said. (There were 24 board members present during the voting — 13 votes would have been a majority.)

Siddiqui said she was “highly disappointed” that CB9 was once again left without a district manager.

CB9’s long-running efforts to fill the job of top neighborhood bureaucrat have been marked by scandal and litigation. Two district managers were ousted in three years.

Pearl Miles, who held the job of district manager for three decades, was dismissed in 2015 after she altered the outcome of a key vote on a controversial rezoning issue.

In 2017, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Wayne Saitta voided the hiring of Carmen Martinez, who would have been Miles’ replacement. The judge’s ruling was the outcome of a lawsuit filed by activist Alicia Boyd.

The salary for CB9’s district manager position is between $75,000 and $90,000 per year, a job vacancy posting says.

District managers run a community board’s offices, provide services for residents of the community district and carry out their board’s wishes. They send out the board’s letters of support or disapproval for a range of issues including rezoning proposals, alterations to landmarked properties and liquor-license applications

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