UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New officers for the Upper East Side’s Community Board 8 were elected last week, including for the top position of chairperson.
Board member Valerie Mason was elected to the role of board chair and Rebecca Dangoor was elected as first vice chair last week.
Mason bested board colleague Abraham Salcedo, while Dangoor won against another longtime Community Board 8 member, Ed Hartzog.
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As chair, Mason, who has also served as first and second vice chairs in the past, said she hopes to ensure that the community board is adding value to the community process and will work to widen its reach into the community.
“Are new people coming to our meetings?” Mason said at a Community Board 8 interview prior to the vote, “Are they coming back?”
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Mason also said she wanted the board to improve efficiency and to begin setting expectations for time requirements at meetings — but without restricting the “free flow of opinions.”
Some Community Board 8 meetings — including that evening’s full board meeting — can last up to four hours long, which makes getting involved a burden for some community members.
“Time is our most valuable asset,” she said. “We need to approximate agenda item times.”
Mason also heralded the Board’s recent approval of the East 94th Street development.
“Finally, the city knows what we know,” Mason said, “that we want affordable housing.”
Mason told Patch that she was “honored and excited” to be elected as incoming chair to Community Board 8, and that she plans on getting the board “more engaged with out community.”
“The community board is technically an advisory body but when we work together with other community boards, and neighborhood and civic associations, our collective voice can be heard and heeded,” Mason said. “We aim to give the term ‘advisory’ a new meaning and we hope our UES and Roosevelt Island neighbors will help us make it happen.”
In other uncontested community board elections, Felice Farber was elected to second vice chair.
Three candidates for three secretary positions — Lindsey Cormack, Craig Lader and Addeson Lehv — all succeeded in their unopposed elections.
Community Boards are made up of local community members who issue advisory, non-binding options on a slew of matters, including zoning and housing decisions, liquor licenses, street changes, park renovations, and many other issues, and are often relied on to bring community needs to the attention of those in power.
And while the boards don’t have any literal power, their opinions hold a lot of sway over what happens — or doesn’t happen — in a neighborhood.
Members are appointed to the board by the borough president, who often takes recommendations on applicants from local city Council members.
Curious about joining? Click here to read a great guide from THE CITY on Community Boards and how to apply.
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