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Editorial comment Change the board gamePosted 6/6/12
Once in a while, there comes a perfect illustration of a politician using his power for self aggrandizement instead of his constituents’ benefit. Sometimes it takes the form of out and out corruption. There was the $177 bagel and Snapple Larry Seabrook purchased at a deli near City Hall and then submitted for reimbursement at the taxpayer’s expense. There was the more than $500,000 former state Sen. Pedro Espada Jr. embezzled from a health care clinic for needy Bronxites so he could wine and dine his wife at Westchester restaurants. Sometimes its just a pol’s need to show ’em who’s boss — like the time Riverdale resident Tom Durham was not reappointed (read: kicked off) Community Board 8 after six years of service simply for disagreeing with Councilman Oliver Koppell. A week has passed since Mr. Durham speculated in an interview with The Riverdale Press that he was let go for voting against Mr. Koppell’s wishes when he cast his ballot for Maria Khury as vice chair of Community Board 8 — a week since he said that he was let go just for not being a “butt kisser.” Nobody has begged to differ. Those who pay close enough attention to care about community board appointments also know that political pandering — and retribution when it fails — is just part of the process better known as democracy. But how many taxpayers who fund the board — to the tune of $256,000 last year — know that politicians run the boards with their own, not the community’s, best interests front and center? Unlike other members who have been canned for seemingly political reasons, Mr. Durham has no political ambition and is not aligned with any group that stands in opposition to the men who appointed him. He is a super — the type who’d rather plow snow on the pathways in Brust Park near his co-op building than wait around for It’s My Park Day to lend a hand. “I am not political. That’s my problem with everybody … I’m civic minded,” he said.
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I served very briefly on CB8 in about 2006 or so, and I became somewhat friendly with Tom Durham. The guy really did, and does, care about the community and it is indeed a shame he was kicked off.
And although I eventually broke with the Cassino crew, I also saw those guys (Scheinbach and Trebach) as well intentioned fighters for the community. In fact, with my help as a reporter for this newspaper, those guys were singlehandedly responsible for changing the alternate side of the street rules which now allow people to move their cars only two days a week. Not one local politician helped with that issue at all, nor lent any support whatsoever to making those changes. In fact, they tried to poo poo it once they realized that they hadn't been invited to that particular party.
But having said all that, I think a little reality is in order. Quite simply, the CB is an organization that likes to think they have influence, and boy do they love their formal meetings, but I am hard pressed to think of what they actually get done. In reality, they have zero power and influence, and I've been hearing the same ineffective people making the same ineffective arguments and porposals now for 6 years. Even though Durham was a great community leader, he had, though no fault of his own, no power to do anything. The power is locked up with career politicians that will probably live to ripe old ages still holding their seats in government. All this to the detriment of the community. Of course, the whole system itself is broken beyond repair, and anybody who aspires to be part of that disgusting club (elected office) will simply be hacks that will replace the current hacks.
Nice editorial, but let's stop pretending the people have any power whatsover. The sooner we realize that we don't have any power, the sooner we can get on with making the individual changes in our lives to extricate us from this insane political system. Let's stop voting for one, and start ignoring the politicians. They do us no good. Sunday, June 17, 2012|Report this