Community Board 4 members reelected candidates for executive committee at the Board’s May meeting, held at Hope Gardens Multi Service Center (195 Linden Street).
Community Board Chair Julie Dent was reelected unanimously and will begin serving her second term as chairwoman. Dent took over as chairperson last year after Anna Gonzalez retired from the post.
“I thank you for allowing me to continue to serve as your chairperson,” said Dent, who is also the executive director at the Audrey Johnson Day Care Center, said. “We must remain community minded and understand who we are representing and not just represent ourselves. Thank you for your support.”
Martha Brown was elected first vice chairperson, after running against Virgie Jones. Brown serves as chair of the Board’s Housing and Land Use Committee, which often debates new zoning and development requests submitted by developers that are occurring in the neighborhood.
“I am always humbled when my colleagues vote for me for First Vice,” Brown said. “They are always hard-working, dedicated, community-minded people.”
Austen Martinez was elected second vice chairperson, running against Ruby Clinkscale and Virgie Jones. Martinez also serves as the chair of the Board’s Parks and Recreation Committee, which recently negotiated the allocation of parks for several youth baseball leagues in Bushwick.
“We have to keep moving forward and addressing the problems in the community,” Martinez said.
In the other races, Brenda Lee Tramble was elected recording secretary, Benjamin Valentin was elected financial secretary, Avellar Hansley, also an officer with the 83rd Precinct Community Council, was elected treasurer, Virgie Jones, who also chairs the Youth and Education Committee, was elected corresponding secretary, and Odolph Wright was elected parliamentarian. Each of the winning candidates had served in their offices the previous year.
“The elections went very nicely,” said Nadine Whitted, district manager of Community Board 4. “I am very happy [community board members] ran their elections smoothly and professionally.”
Twenty-nine community board members attended the May meeting, the last meeting of the year before Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz officially appoints a new Board. At the end of the year, 47 of the 50 seats were occupied. As of May 21, Whitted did not know who had been reappointed to the Community Board next year, though community members who have maintained good attendance records are often reappointed.
Whitted and Dent also announced that the Community Board 4 district office will be relocating to 1420 Bushwick Avenue sometime later this year. The current office located on 315 Wyckoff Avenue near the Myrtle Avenue L station stop was meant to be a temporary office, though the Board has been situated there since 1993.
The Board is also planning its 3rd Annual Bushwick Day parade, held on Brooklyn-Queens Day on June 5 at 10 a.m. at Noll Field. For more information about the parade route and Community Board 4, call 718-628-8400.
