Longtime Community Board 6 District Manager Ivine Galarza is seated at the conference table in the board office for her last District Service Cabinet meeting with local area representatives of city agencies. To Ms. Galarza'a right is the commanding officer of the 48th Police Precinct Captain Tim McCormick, and to her left is the new Community Board 6 district manager Mr. John Sanchez.
I had received a couple of phone calls from individuals who applied for the district manager position, and went to meet the new district manager. I was fortunate to be able to see my friend Ivine Galarza who had been the district manager of board 6 for the past 21 years. We had a very lovely chat, similar to the one I had with Ken Kearns who is the outgoing District Manager of Community Board 10. Ivine asked me why I was not on Community Board 8 anymore, and I said that she would have to ask Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. that question. I asked Ivine why she was retiring, and she said that while she would of loved to continue on as the district manager, but that 21 years was a long period of time in today's era of community boards to be the district manager. We spoke about many other items, and then she introduced me to the new district manager Mr. John Sanchez.
In my role of being a political reporter I was familiar with Mr. Sanchez who had been on the staff of Assemblyman Michael Blake, whose assembly district covers parts of the community board 6 area. I joked with District manager Sanchez about Assemblyman Blake wanting to become a congressman, and I said that he might make a fine assemblyman should that happen. Having been a community board member for the past six years, and my boards Budget Committee Chair, I know firsthand of the recent changes instituted by the current mayor's office. Last year was the first year of a 48 page on line submission form for budget priorities, and this coming year was going to be no different, especially to a rookie district manager.
It seems that as Ms. Galarza and I talked, today we may not see a district manager with more than ten years on the job, as they are appointed by the members of the community board. It also seems that due to term limits of elected officials who appoint community board members more frequent turnover of board members may also happen. For now Community Board 6 appears to be in good hands, and Mr. Sanchez has Ivine Galarza's phone number in an easy to reach spot, just in case he needs some good advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment