New CB9 Members Appointed - Board Chair Expresses Disappointment With Ethnic Breakdown

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New CB9 Members Appointed
Board Chair Expresses Disappointment With Ethnic Breakdown
By Melissa Repko
Issue date: 3/28/07 Section: News

Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer released the names of new members appointed to the island's community boards on Monday.

The appointees included eight new members for Community Board 9, the jurisdiction of which stretches from 110th to 155th streets. The new CB9 members are Debra Byrd, Anthony Fletcher, William Simpkins, Brenda Faust, Don'Angelo Bivens, Eileen Merritt, Carole Singleton, and Charles Loveday.

Each year, half of each community board's membership is chosen. The appointments take effect on April 1. According to a press release from Stringer's office, there were 571 total applicants for positions on the boards, 308 of which were new applicants. There were 101 new appointees selected.

"I am proud to report that the second year of our newly instituted recruitment and appointment process has again resulted in an outstanding group of appointees," Stringer said in the press release. "The quality and total number of this year's pool of applicants was exceptional."

But CB9 chair Jordi Reyes-Montblanc expressed dissatisfaction that no Latinos were among the new CB9 appointees. "I am not surprised. ... I'm just disappointed," he said. "The Latino Hispanic community represents almost 50 percent of the district, and the numbers have not."Eric Pugatch, director of communications for Stringer, said that there was only one Latino applicant for CB9, despite efforts to increase the Latino applicant pool.

"We attempt to make appointments that reflect not only the ethnic diversity of the community but bring much needed skills and expertise to the board," Stringer said in a letter to the CB9 Latino Caucus.

Reyes-Monblanc said that while there are no Latino appointees this year, he believes Stringer will support efforts to increase Latino membership. "I expect to see him do great things for Manhattan and to work with us to do great things in the future," he said.