Approval of Community Board 6’s code of conduct for responsible contractors will have to wait until July.
The long discussed proposal met a hiccup after members dispersed into the night during the board’s June 10 meeting, leaving the all−volunteer organization without a quorum, and effectively powerless to conduct official business.
“I think everyone who takes board business seriously was disappointed,” said board member Jeff Strabone.
Conspiracy theories abound as to the reason for the exodus of board members surfaced after the meeting.
“Several members left because they wanted to foil the responsible contractor vote — and they succeeded,” said a board member who asked to remain anonymous.
Another theory, a member said, is that those who left wanted to make it so board member Brad Lander, a City Council candidate, wouldn’t be able to boast about the code’s passage, ostensibly to the liking of local unions.
Lander, who was among the members to help craft the code, said he heard that theory, and discounted it. “I don’t believe it,” he said.
Among the members who left was Deb Scotto, a local developer supporting Lander rival John Heyer, also a candidate in the 39th District. (Heyer’s wife, board member Maria Reca, was also among those who prematurely departed.)
“People are really insane,” Scotto said of the theory. “We left out of disgust, because that damn board spent an hour and a half talking about an issue that’s not even in our district,” she said, referring to Brooklyn Bridge Park. “It’s just ridiculous how they belabor things.”
Scotto said she is not “absolutely thrilled” about the code, but she still worked with members on its creation.
