The Manhattan Times

Community Board 12 chair resigns abruptly

by Daniel P. Bader

Manny Velazquez has resigned his position as chair of Community Board 12.

The news came in a short e-mailed statement released by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer late on Tue., Nov. 10.

"Today, I accepted the resignation of Manny Velazquez as Chair of Community Board 12 effective November 9, 2009. Over the past three years, Manny has worked productively, as Chair, with his fellow board members and the community at large to address critical issues and challenges faced by the Washington Heights and Inwood communities. I commend Manny for his service," Stringer said in the statement.

Velazquez’ resignation follows a pair of decisions made by the three-term chair and recent candidate for City Council that have been questioned by Stringer’s office.

The first is a 2008 letter he wrote as chair on board stationary recommending a restaurant to the State Liquor Authority. The SLA granted the license even though the restaurant, D’Noche at 213 Sherman Avenue, never formally sought board support for a license as it was required to do.

A spokesperson for the authority pointed to the letter, which was accompanied by similar letters from former City Council Member Miguel Martinez and St. Jude’s Church pastor Father Elias Isla, as the required support from the community.

Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat has protested the license, arguing that the letters should have been ignored without a formal resolution from the community board.

In a letter dated Nov. 9 from the borough president’s lawyer, Velazquez was admonished for the letter to the SLA and for his recent attempts to hire an aide for the board office without the required approval from the full board.

“These actions exceed your authority as a Community Board member and board chair and require immediate correction,” the letter reads.

Velazquez was presented with the letter during a meeting at the borough president’s office at W. 125th Street as part of a series of individual meetings with all the Upper Manhattan board chairs.

Velazquez said his resignation had nothing to do with the letter from the borough president. He simply wanted to spend more time with his family after his grueling campaign for City Council, which ended with the Sept. 15 Democratic Primary when voters overwhelmingly chose Ydanis Rodriguez. The campaign took more out of him than he expected, he said, requiring time off from his job as a dean at I.S. 52 and away from his two sons.

When community board activities picked up in September after the summer recess, he realized he couldn’t be as involved as he needed to be.

“I needed time off and people were doing what needed to be done,” he said, referring to his successor, Pamela Palanque North, who was first vice chair of the board until his resignation.

Velazquez defended his letter supporting D’Noche and his attempt to hire a new staff person.

He intended the five-sentence letter to be an official note to the State Liquor Authority that D’Noche was going to be a family style restaurant, in case it later began to function like a nightclub, he said. As far as hiring someone to fill an office position at the board, he said there was no wrongdoing.

“I was definitely in constant contact with the mayor’s office to make sure I did things properly,” he said. “At no point was I aware we needed board approval.

“We needed someone in there, and I put the paperwork in,” he added. “I think its unfair people might think it’s something it’s not.”

Velazquez said he is still a member of the board.

“I’m here, I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

North is expected to fill the role of board chair through the end of the year when regularly scheduled elections will take place for officers. Both she and Zead Ramadan have announced that they want to lead the all-volunteer body. Nominations for all the positions will take place during the board’s November general meeting with elections scheduled in December.