Tag Archives: endorsements

2022 Seward Spark Board Endorsements

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This year finds an unusual number of very good candidates running for the Board, which is a most welcome state of affairs, even though it is harder for us to decide whom to endorse.  After reviewing the candidates’ biographies, hearing their presentations at Meet the Candidates, and reviewing the records of those who have already served, we believe the following four candidates stand out.

#1 Jessica Kramer – Jessica is new here (she bought her apartment in 2021), but has made an excellent impression on all who have met her, and has a resume filled with the sort of education and experience that is likely to make her a very effective Board member.  She has a law degree and has worked in real estate-related legal and technology spaces, plus has experience in startups where she needed to learn complex new subjects quickly. All of this gives us great optimism about her candidacy.

#2 Kate Nammacher – Kate has co-authored the Seward Spark endorsements for the last few years, so we obviously trust her judgment.  But she also had an accomplished term as a director (including serving as treasurer and president) several years ago as the coop undertook complex projects like the transition from ConEd steam to our own boilers.  Those who served with her have only good things to say about her intelligence and professionalism.

#5 Betsy Jacobson – Betsy’s work puts her in daily contact with many of our senior residents, and she is friendly with a number of cooperators who are not particularly friendly with most other Directors. She has therefore become an indispensable Board member, giving voice to those folks’ thoughts and concerns in a challenging but constructive manner, while bringing her own positive energy and intelligence to almost every Board matter. The Seward Spark did not endorse Betsy the first time she ran, but we endorsed her second run three years ago and we enthusiastically re-up that endorsement for this year.

#6 Wei-Li Tjong – Wei-Li has served on the Board for a majority of the last 22 years, and has an excellent record of voting for progress tempered by affordability concerns. He grew up in the co-op and has strong relationships with generations of cooperators. He’s a smart lawyer with highly relevant professional knowledge and gets along well with everyone in the Boardroom.

Regardless of your candidates of choice, please do not forget to vote!

Your neighbor,

Micah Arbisser
Seward Spark Publisher

2020 Seward Spark Board Endorsements

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This year’s Seward Spark endorsements again come from Micah Arbisser, who publishes the Seward Spark, and Kate Nammacher, who served on the Board as a director, president, and treasurer.

After reviewing the candidates’ biographies, hearing their presentations at Meet the Candidates, and reviewing the records of those who have already served, we believe the following four candidates stand out for their high levels of engagement, knowledge, optimism, and professionalism.

#1 Michael Tumminia – When Michael served as the Board president (2010) and treasurer (2011), he accomplished the conversion of broom closets into a community room; created a modern, safe, and legal playroom; expanded our leasable commercial spaces; re-claimed and transformed a padlocked vacant-for-50-years dumping ground into what we now know as our Hester Street lot (and Fair); balanced our budget; and much more. We need his leadership, certified public accounting (CPA) skills, and fiscally conservative outlook now more than ever, with COVID-19 sending commercial tenants (and therefore our budget) into uncharted territory.

#2 Karen Suss Wolfson – A lifelong resident, past Board president, and a Board member whose service is measured not in years but in decades, Karen is our institutional memory.  She has strong business instincts and a tremendous ability to sense the desires of a broad spectrum of our community. And she is truly dedicated to her work as a Board member, especially with the screening committee.  

#3 Darcey Gerstein – A past secretary, treasurer, and president, Darcey has proved her leadership in a variety of Board positions, putting out frequent Board communications, working hard to balance our budget and refinance our mortgage, and advancing major and much-needed capital projects to make sure our buildings will be safe and comfortable for the long haul. Her recent article in the Cooperator well illustrates how much Darcey cares about our community.

#5 Carol Anastasio – Three years ago Carol promised cost-effective and environmentally-friendly improvements to our grounds if elected, and she has delivered. With only minimal increases to our landscaping budget, our greenspaces are looking far better, with more flowers and healthier lawns and plants. Carol helped coordinate the composting program and the retrofit of the “prison yard” lights (now much warmer and more appropriate) between Buildings 1 and 2. We will all benefit from her re-election.

Regardless of your candidates of choice, please do not forget to vote!

Your neighbors,

Micah Arbisser
Seward Spark Publisher

Kate Nammacher
Former SPC Director, President and Treasurer

2019 Seward Spark Board Endorsements

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Seward Spark’s 2019 endorsements again come from Micah Arbisser, who publishes the Seward Spark, and Kate Nammacher, who recently served on the Board as a director, president, and treasurer.

The field of candidates this year is by far the smallest in recent memory, but the race remains competitive.  Wei-Li Tjong, Darshan Somashekar, and Betsy Jacobson are the candidates who will continue to ask hard questions and seek good answers in the Boardroom, while maintaining civility and helping the Board to do its incredibly important (and often underappreciated) work.

#1 Wei-Li Tjong – Wei has served multiple terms on the Board and has an excellent record of voting for progress tempered by affordability concerns.  He grew up in the co-op and has strong relationships with generations of cooperators. He’s a smart lawyer with highly relevant professional knowledge and gets along well with everyone in the Boardroom.

#2 Darshan Somashekar – Darshan is a first time candidate and relatively new to the co-op but has lived in the neighborhood for almost 10 years. He brings a fresh young perspective, a genuine desire to serve the community, and technology and business skills that will enable him to make a very real, substantive contribution as a Director. Everyone who meets him seems extremely impressed.

#3 Betsy Jacobson – Betsy’s work puts her in daily contact with many of our senior residents, and she is friendly with a number of cooperators who are not particularly friendly with most other Directors. She has therefore become an indispensable Board member, giving voice to those folks’ thoughts and concerns in a challenging but constructive manner, while bringing her own positive energy and intelligence to almost every Board matter. The Seward Spark did not endorse Betsy three years ago, but seeing her track record while on the board, we do so with high confidence this year.

Whether or not you agree that these candidates are the best, please exercise your shareholder right to vote on Tuesday, June 11!

Your neighbors,

Micah Arbisser
Seward Spark Publisher

Kate Nammacher
Former SPC Director, President and Treasurer

2018 Seward Spark Board Endorsements

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This year’s Seward Spark endorsements again come from Micah Arbisser, who publishes the Seward Spark, and Kate Nammacher, who recently served on the Board as a director, president, and treasurer.

After reviewing the candidates’ biographies, hearing their presentations at Meet the Candidates, and reviewing the records of those who have already served, we believe the following four candidates stand out for their high levels of engagement, knowledge, optimism, and professionalism.

#1 Aaron Fineman, #4 Doron Stember, and #6 Erica Cullmann – The incumbents this year are among the most hard-working, thoughtful, effective directors in the co-op’s recent memory.  They absolutely deserve reelection. Erica, Doron, and Aaron have led us through a challenging period where they raised revenue from non shareholder sources, overhauled our budgeting process to make it more stable, expanded access to amenities, and were responsive to shareholder concerns and alternative Boardroom viewpoints.  They also toiled for 17 months to bring the best possible air rights deal to a shareholder vote, while presenting detailed and balanced information about the deal.

#2 Sidney Goudie – From Sid’s first days in Seward Park, he has demonstrated a deep commitment to our community.  Sid is well known for his friendly presence in the E section, and can often be found engaging neighbors with questions about our collective home in an effort to understand the issues from all perspectives.  He is someone who can naturally find common ground on the most pressing matters facing our co-op. Sid also has a strong finance background and focuses on long-term preservation of capital. He wants to apply his financial expertise to the co-op’s budgeting and fiscal management strategies and would be an extremely valuable Board member.

Whether or not you agree that these candidates are the best, please exercise your shareholder right to vote!

Your neighbors,

Micah Arbisser
Seward Spark Publisher

Kate Nammacher
Former SPC Director, President and Treasurer

2017 Seward Spark Board Endorsements

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This year’s Seward Spark endorsements come from Micah Arbisser, who publishes the Seward Spark, and Kate Nammacher, who recently served on the Board as a director, president, and treasurer.

After reviewing the candidates’ biographies, hearing their presentations at Meet the Candidates, and reviewing the records of those who have already served, we believe the following four candidates stand out for their high levels of engagement, knowledge, optimism, and professionalism.

#2 Darcey Gerstein – A prolific and transparent Boardroom communicator, Darcey has worked hard to keep us informed, while putting in countless hours behind the scenes on almost every major issue the Board has tackled in the last three years.  Her candidate statements convey a long list of impressive achievements.  We will all benefit if she is given a chance to double that list’s length with a second term.

#3 Carol Anastasio – With more than two decades managing NYC parks, Carol’s stated priority if elected is to cost-effectively improve our grounds.  In her previous term on the Board she proved her enthusiasm and capability with respect to all kinds of issues, and she has a list of achievements on par with Darcey’s.  And she has volunteered to help with almost every community event since the day she moved here.

#4 Karen Suss Wolfson – A lifelong resident and a Board member whose service is measured not in years but in decades, Karen is our institutional memory.  We have tremendous respect for her business acumen, her ability to sense the desires of a broad spectrum of our community, and her dedication to her work as a Board member. Karen is screening committee chair and a past president.  

#5 David Pearson – A first-time candidate, Dave has the most relevant professional experience of any candidate in recent memory.  A Senior Vice President of Affordable Development at the Related Companies, he has years of experience analyzing and negotiating operating budgets, contracts, and financing, all with the goal of preserving affordability while upgrading quality-of-life. And he wants to do the same for us.

Whether or not you agree that these candidates are the best, please exercise your shareholder right to vote!

Your neighbors,

Micah Arbisser
Seward Spark Publisher

Kate Nammacher
Former SPC Director, President and Treasurer

Seward Park Board Election is This Week

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Seward Park Cooperative shareholders return to the polls on Wednesday, June 15.  Please remember to vote!  If you are unable to vote in person on Wednesday, you can vote online using the codes you should have received in the mail from Election America.  If you have misplaced your codes, please contact us and we will send you a proxy form that will allow another shareholder to cast a vote on your behalf.

This year’s Seward Spark endorsements come from Kate Nammacher, who recently served on the Board as a director, president, and treasurer.

After reviewing the candidates’ biographies and hearing their presentations at Meet the Candidates,  I believe that the following three candidates stand out for their high levels of engagement, knowledge and professionalism, and their complementary skills.

#3 Wei-Li Tjong – Wei-Li previously served three terms on the Board and distinguished himself as a leader in making improvements and finding cost savings for the co-op.  As a practicing corporate attorney his professional focus is spotting potential problems and figuring out cost-effective ways to avoid them. At Meet the Candidates he said his proudest achievements from his prior Board tenure include settling major lawsuits that could have cost us millions and slashing our legal bills by changing the way we engage with our lawyers.  He is responsible for replacing our prior management company with Greenthal/ Frank Durant, resulting in enormous quality of life improvements for all shareholders.  Wei-Li grew up in the co-op and chose to return here as an adult, representing concerns of both lifelong residents and new arrivals.

#5 James Mastroianni – Jim is a relative newcomer to SPC compared to many of the other candidates, but has jumped right in to volunteer as an active member of various co-op community groups and celebrations.  Jim is a corporate tax attorney and a partner at the accounting megafirm PWC, bringing skills that are crucial in the Boardroom.  His knowledge about co-op issues was on full display at Meet the Candidates, where Jim cited financial figures from memory and explained bylaw provisions that seemed completely unfamiliar to other candidates. With skyrocketing real estate taxes, we strongly need Jim’s level of expertise.

#6 Leah Strock – Leah has lived in the co-op since 1989.   She is a nurse practitioner with extraordinary listening and problem solving skills.  A frequent and always positive participant on various online community forums, an enthusiastic volunteer for GASP (Gays at Seward Park), children’s programs, Hurricane Sandy response and more, she is a model of neighborliness and cooperation.  At Meet the Candidates she had smart and informed answers to every question that was sent her way.  She will be a force for moderation, consensus and progress in the Boardroom.

Whether or not you agree that these candidates are the best, please exercise your shareholder right to vote! We need strong representation and good voter turnout.

Your neighbor and former director, president and treasurer,
Kate Nammacher