The Manhattan Times

Two long-time CB12 members vie to be chair

by Daniel P. Bader

On Dec. 15, members of Community Board 12 are scheduled to vote in a new leader of the 50-person, all-volunteer body that renders Northern Manhattan’s official opinion on the issues of the day, from weighing in on land use issues to giving the thumbs up or down to liquor license applications.

The unpaid position of chair has the power to speak for the board, appoints committee chairs and runs the sometimes marathon monthly meetings when the board votes on resolutions that are then sent to appropriate government entities.

In recent years, the race for CB12 chair has proven to be Northern Manhattan’s most closely contested election, although only board members vote in it.

The two candidates for the year-long term are Pamela Palanque North and Zead Ramadan, who are both long-time, active members of the board.

Both have served on CB12 for over a decade and each sees their time, if elected, as an opportunity to revitalize the board and cultivate recently appointed members into future leaders.

After finishing graduate school, North moved to her home on W. 162nd Street in 1977, close to where she grew up in Harlem. She joined her block association, and what would foreshadow the future, took over the leadership of the association when the president left.

A lecturer for American University Graduate School of Public Affairs and health a educator, North has served on numerous boards, both professionally and in her community. In 1998 she joined CB12 and was appointed as assistant chair for the boards’ health and human services committee. She also chaired the public safety committee for five years.

For the past three years North has served as first vice chair of the board, and took over the chair position when Manny Velazquez resigned on Nov. 9 after nearly three years at the helm. In the last few years she said she had been biding her time, waiting for the right time to run, and had decided after Velazquez’ final term was up she would run.

“Manny leaving was just shocking,” North said. Velazquez had not really included her in many of the day-to-day issues of the board, but she took on the job.

She wants to be chair for just one year, to get new leadership in place.

“One year – I think I could do that. That would be my legacy,” North said.

Ramadan, a Palestinian immigrant from Kuwait, moved to Northern Manhattan as a child in 1991. His parents moved him and his seven siblings because the government of Kuwait does not grant citizenship to Palestinians.

Ramadan is owner of X-Caffe, the café located in the rejuvenated Audubon Ballroom on Broadway and W. 168th Street. He learned about the board when he had to go before its economic development committee to get its support for an outdoor café license he sought for his business.

Like North, he joined the board in 1998.

“I wanted the opportunity to give back to the community,” he said.

In 2002 he became chair of the board, which, he said, was in disarray.

“We turned that board around in six months,” Ramadan said.

Instead of assigning committee chairs through politics, Ramadan said he handpicked each one based on their expertise in the subject matter.

“I was also very adamant about maintaining unity on the board,” he said.

He feels the current board has slipped, and wants to set things right.

“I believe the board is currently in a state reminiscent of where it was in 2001,” he said.

“The community board has suffered dysfunction again.”

Ramadan, though he bears no ill will toward North, feels he could do a better job at rebuilding the board, and get young leaders on track.

“I would love the opportunity to work with them and give them the knowledge I have,” he said. “I believe I can help.”

In the other races for CB12 leadership positions, George Espinal, one of the youngest persons to serve on any community board is running against Emilia Cardona, a long-time CB12 member, for first vice chair; two newer but quickly seasoning members, Cheryl Pahaham and Isaiah Bing, are vying for second vice chair; despite several nominations from the floor at the last general meeting, everyone has declined to run for secretary, and Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, who has served several times over the years, is ineligible because she was on the nominating committee; and long-time member Edith Prentiss is running unopposed for treasurer.