** UPDATED to include comments from Richardson & others **
Amid talk that she would be booted from the Community Board 9 Executive Committee and possibly as a board member, Diana Richardson, the Working Families Party candidate for Central Brooklyn’s vacant 43rd District Assembly seat, abruptly resigned within the past week from her post as treasurer on the board’s executive committee, several board sources said.
But Richardson said her resignation came only after she fulfilled all her duties as treasurer, and she did so to focus on the May 5 special election race.
“There was never any discussions to remove me from Community Board 9 because there is no grounds for removal,” said Richardson. “I requested a leave of absence in March 2015, which was approved by current chairwoman Laura Imperiale. Then a few weeks later, I got an email from the executive committee stating that upon further review there is no provision for a leave of absence therefore I would either have to try to make all the meetings entailed in being an executive committee board member or resign from the executive committee.”
Richardson noted that as treasurer she went above and beyond her duty by filing two financial reports last year when only one is required.
“I’m still a Community Board 9 member and only resigned from the executive committee, and did it solely because I’m taking up this endeavor and juggling the two is naturally a lot in a special election, and I wanted to ensure the board was able to do their work,” Richardson said.
But several sources said that had Richardson not stepped down from the post, the executive board was going to make moves to remove her. They sited her non-attendance of several meetings coupled with her using her executive board position to further her election campaign as reasons.
According to CB9 bylaws, if an executive or regular board member misses three consecutive meetings they are no longer allowed to serve on the board. Richardson missed the February and March meetings, sources said, and therefore there is no grounds for her removal.
Richardson’s resignation comes as Community Board 9 has undergone a lot of turmoil in the past year, including arrests and lockouts of local residents, wrongful vote counts on issues before the board and the recent resignation of the chair Dwayne Nicholson.
These points were not lost on male Democratic District Leader Geoffrey Davis, who is also running for the seat on his own Love Yourself Party line as the Democratic Party is not fielding a candidate due to filing errors.
“Community Board 9 is the most dysfunctional community board in the City of New York,” said Davis. “I personally brought attention to a fraudulent vote count and a total disregard for the Roberts Rules of Order that are followed for all public meetings.
“The community as a whole voice was not being heard. I hold accountable all executive members including candidate Diana Richardson for allowing these long ongoing illegal acts to take place. And once I’m elected one of my priorities is to fix the wrong doings of CB 9 once and for all where the people can have a voice again.”
While female Democratic District Leader Shirley Patterson, who is running on the Independence Party line refused comment on the matter, New York County Independence Party Chair Michael Zumbluskas had a mouthful of words.
“It’s surprising Miss Richardson was asked to step down from the community board because she’s missing too many meetings. If that’s the case, how is she going to be a state assemblywoman, which takes multitasking and attending all kinds of assembly committee meetings as well as attending the community board meeting, police precinct council meetings, school board meetings and so many other events in such a diverse district?” asked Zumbluskas.
“If she cant juggle a short term campaign and the community board how can she juggle the concerns of the community, the city and the state? Shirley (Patterson) has been a mother, a grandmother, politically active and held a full-time job and was able to do everything regardless,” he added.
Also running in the four-person race is Republican Menachem Raitport, who juggles a wife and eight children along with running his small but busy Kosher Meat Market on Kingston Avenue.
The district includes Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Lefferts Gardens and Wingate.
