First I will repeat what happened on January 19th when I went into look at some papers that should have been in the Bronx Community Board #2 office.
To Dr. Ian S. Amritt Chair of Bronx Community Board # 2, January 19. 2016.
Having been unable to view the following requested documents that are or should be in the possession of the Community Board # 2 office I file the this Freedom of Information Letter requesting to view (and/or have copies made available at the New York City standard price).
These documents are required by the Open Meetings Law to be available to any member of the public to view.
Minutes of the full board meetings dating back January 2011.
Minutes of the Executive Board meetings dating back to January 2011.
Minutes of the District Service Cabinet meetings dating back to January 2011.
Time sheets for Community Board staff dating from July 1, 2015 to January 15, 2016.
Any communication from the district manager Rafael Salamanca as to when he decided to run for elected office in 2015 or 2016.
Any discretionary funding spent by Bronx Community Board # 2 dating back to January 2011.
I hope this can be cleared up before the Special election your current District Manager Mr. Salamanca is involved in, as there are several questions that have come to light on response to his candidacy for public office and his being a Community Board District Manager.
Thank You,
Robert Press
Dated January 19, 2016.
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The response I received from Dr, Amritt Chair of BXCB 2 was the following -
January 25, 2016
I am writing as the Chairman of Bronx Community Board #2, with respect to the New York State FOI Law (Public Officers Law, Article 6, S.84 et. seq., referred to herein as the “FOIL”), Community Board #2 has received your FOIL request.
As per the FOIL, we will contact you within the next 20 business days to let you know which documents we are in possession of that are responsive to your request, how to access those documents and whether access has been denied to any documents.
Sincerely,
Dr, Ian Amritt
Chairman
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I have just received the following from Dr. Amritt Chair of BXCB # 2 -
Dear Mr. Press
We have prepared a production in response to your FOIL request dated January 19, 2016 It is ready to be picked up at the Bronx Community Board #2 office. This package contains a total of 390 pages; consistent with FOIL procedures, a charge of 25 cents per page has been assessed. Please advise me of the time and date when you will be picking up these materials. Lastly, please provide a money order in the amount of $97.50, made payable to NYC Department of Finance.
The Community Board #2 office is not in possession of the time sheets for the individuals referenced in the request.
Yours truly
Dr. Ian S Amritt
Chair
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My response to Dr. Amritt is the following,
At 10 meetings a year the full board meetings, executive board meetings, and District Service cabinet meetings would amount to 30 meetings a year. Since I have requested to see those minutes back to 2011 that would make 150 meetings not counting any public hearings the board is scheduled to have such as the MIH and ZQA public hearings conducted at the end of 2015. There are also Budget Priority Public Hearings for the 5 years, so I can not believe that this amounts to only 390 pages. By the way I have asked first to view what should have been in the board office. Lastly I would like to know exactly what minutes are on file, and which minutes are not in the possession of CB #2 at this time.
I also asked to view the time sheets which a copy should be kept in the board office, and would show the time your District Manager worked on what days, which you say the board does not have possession of. How then is the public to know if the District Manager Mr. Salamanca was working at all then?
You do not answer when your District Manager Mr. Salamanca told BXCB #2 when he had decided to run for public office, or it seems that BXCB #2 has no record of any city monies that it may have spent. Were receipts not kept with an explanation?
I find this very disturbing and have already been in contact with the Mayors office, and will have to contact the Manhattan District Attorney's office since the Bronx DA may have a conflict of interest in the matter.
Robert Press.
Editors Note:
I would now suggest to candidate Rafael Salamanca that he withdraw from the 17th City Council Special Election.
