Coverage of CB9 chaos/entertainment/misery, Fall 2015.

whynot_31

2016 coverage begins here

They meet again tomorrow.    Here's the agenda:

http://www.communitybrd9bklyn.org/meeting/community-board-meeting-10/

I do love a meeting where the first order of business is to announce the Rules of Conduct...

pheightsresident

I appreciate that the public comment section is earlier on in the meeting. The past practice of holding it until all other business was finished was insane. 

whynot_31

Yes, someone may have finally realized that once they let the public rant, some of them might LEAVE.

...allowing the board to discuss its mundane issues in peace. 

whynot_31

Tim Thomas has been removed from his role as Transportation Committee Chair.

Quote

Chair Demetrius Lawrence:

Okay. This is very disappointing. I believe that the members last night have internalized all the nasty things that Alicia Boyd and Karen Fleming and their group have been saying about me. They are false, and personal. No one who knows me, or has read extensively of my writings, could conceivably call me a racist. I take great offense, and will continue to call out people who take quotes out of context to skewer me.

The content of last night's meeting was clear. The Board is unable to contain a virus that has spread through the membership. It is poisonous, and it is vicious. Rather than stand up to it, and support your fellow Board member, you decided to capitulate.

I do not agree at all that members of the Community Board cannot be activist members of society in general. The Board's assertion that we must somehow remain silent and passive while people in the community hijack our meetings is offensive to the hundreds of people who have signed petitions to the contrary. Look around you - on other Community Boards you will find countless members and officers and chairs who could easily be called activists and outspoken critics of politics. This is not a fault - it's a plus! If anything I fault board members for NOT taking stronger positions against housing injustice, City planning, greedy landlords and developers, and broken City agencies.

Today you did a great disservice to the community. By once again caving to the outrageous behavior of MTOPP, you have shown that you do not have the resolve to stand up to Ms. Boyd.

Mr. Chairman, I think you are trying to be all things to all people. That is NOT leadership. You have alienated a giant segment of our neighborhood in order to appease a few.

And I will not be silent as CB9 continues to mock the very idea of community by removing hard working, caring and passionate members of that community. To remove someone for breaking a rule or law - that's one thing. Today, you cut me loose because a few members of the community don't agree with me and set out to "destroy me," in the worlds of Alicia Boyd.

With respect to you personally, but not to your actions today,

Tim

P.S. I will not remain on the ULURP committee. Chair Liburd has done a tremendous job trying to run the meetings in the face of MTOPP's behavior. But the meetings themselves have become a farce. After twice voting for a Planning Study, the Board continues to drag its feet. 

On Fri, Feb 5, 2016 at 10:38 AM, Demetrius Lawrence <[email protected]> wrote:

Tim,

Good morning. 

I want to first Thank you for attending last night’s special executive committee meeting. 

We appreciate and Thank you for your service as Chair of the Transportation committee, however at this time as Chairman of this Community Board 9 and in accordance with our by laws; Article VII sec. 8.2 (The committee chairpersons shall be appointed members, shall be appointed annually by the Chairperson of the Board and shall serve at the pleasure of the Chairperson of the Board), I will remove you as Chair of the Transportation committee effective immediately.

Myself or another executive committee member will be chairing next weeks transportation committee meeting. Please share with Terri and myself any additional information for the February 10th Transportation committee meeting.

Tim as you offer a wealth of knowledge and information to this board, we would like for you to remain as a member of our ULURP committee.

Sincerely,

Demetrius Lawrence

Chairman - CB9 

whynot_31

pheightsresident said:

I wonder how tonight's search committee meeting went. Regardless, I'm sure I'll find out some details from the meeting when I attend the next board meeting in about a week. 

The search process is NYC politics at work

http://nypost.com/2016/03/28/community-board-feeling-heat-to-hire-disgraced-politicians-crony/

bobmarvin

That NY Post article says that "Martinez...was forced to retire as the city comptroller’s head of community affairs in 2014". Now this is the NY POST, not usually a reliable source, and even the Times gets stuff like this wrong, BUT, assuming they're right AND that Martinez is actually old enough to collect pension payments (normally 62, or 55 under some special circumstances) there are only three ways she can resume work for a City agency: "un-retire" and have her new job count towards a future City pension; work under §211 of the State Retirement and Social Security Law, which imposes SEVERE income limitations; Get a waiver under §212 of that law, which is normally difficult and SHOULD be impossible if there are (as appears to be the case here) other qualified candidates for the job. Only the last [unlikely, unless a fix is REALLY in] option makes taking a job like District Manager more desirable than working for a private firm, which would entail no pension limitations. Curiouser and curiouser!

whynot_31

That would make sense.

...and might even make ME willing to be the District Manager of a CB.

I can't think of many other circumstances I'd be interested in the position.

whynot_31

Video of tonight's land use meeting courtesy of F Richard Hurley:

bobmarvin

They need a REALLY loud PA system so speakers can drown out A.B. and her wing-nuts.

whynot_31

Like the kind used to displace Manuel Noreiga ?

whynot_31

Finally, people are getting sense of humor about it, and distributing popcorn.

whynot_31

whynot_31

Today, there was a court hearing re: the suit brought by MTOPP against CB9 http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2016/6/17/judge-considers-controversial-brooklyn-cb9-rezoning-case

whynot_31

Here's some coverage of the lawsuits filed by the former chair of CB9, and the former District manager.

http://nypost.com/2016/07/07/community-board-chair-accuses-brooklyn-borough-president-of-retaliation/

CB9 doesn't meet over the summer months, yet the dysfunction seems to find a way to continue to become apparent.

whynot_31

The board now needs a new chair, in addition to a manager.

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20161004/crown-heights/communty-board-9-demetrius-lawrence