Tag Archives: Tjong

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

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

2019 Board Candidates

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Only four candidates will compete this year for three seats on the Seward Park Cooperative Board of Directors. The candidates are:

#1 Wei-Li Tjong
#2 Darshan Somashekar
#3 Betsy Jacobson
#4 Arnold Sandler

Wei-Li and Betsy are incumbents.  The third seat is being vacated by James Mastroianni, who served a single term during which he worked very hard on the air rights and mortgage refinancing matters, among other projects.  Arnold is waging his fourth consecutive campaign to win a seat on the board.  Darshan is a first-time candidate.

This is the smallest candidate field we have seen in a board election for at least 15 years.

More to come…

And the winners are…

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Congratulations to Wei-Li, James and Besty!

The final, certified vote tallies were:
#3 Wei-Li Tjong 461
#5 James Mastroianni 441
#8 Betsy Jacobson 424
#6 Leah Strock 397
#1 Arnold Sandler 360
#7 Tina Reiter 344
#2 Marc Albaum 151
ABSTAIN 3

Based on these numbers, at least 861 shareholders cast votes.

Thanks also go out to Marc Albaum, Dave Pass and Dia Shepardson for their service over the past three years.

Corporate AND Cooperative

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Following is the text of a flier that was circulated by former director Jodi Zagoory, who is also an occasional contributor to the Seward Spark.

When I served on the Board of Directors, we rebranded the co-op as “Seward Park Cooperative” instead of “Seward Park Housing Corporation.”  We believed fully in the cooperative character of our community, and wanted it to be the first impression we gave to the outside world.  But as directors, we also never lost sight of the fact that our cooperative is in fact a business corporation.

As shareholders, we elect directors to the Board to be the stewards of a corporation that today has a $25 million annual budget and over $1 billion in assets.  They are charged with making decisions for our benefit, and it is crucial that they have the qualifications, work ethic and temperament to tackle this difficult assignment in an informed, collaborative fashion.  

We absolutely need directors who will remember every day that they are overseeing a cooperative consisting of neighbors who call the cooperative home, not faceless shareholders who can simply dump their stock if they don’t like the corporation’s direction.  And I can happily say that I believe that all of the candidates running for the Board this year fit that bill.

But we also need directors who are willing and able to do the work of a director.  They need to engage with and develop a deep understanding of the important and complex issues we face, like restructuring our debts, handling offers to buy air rights, responding to lawsuits, and more. It is not enough to want peace.  Past Boards led by directors who chose to stick their heads in the sand led us to big budget holes (and big maintenance increases), bungled contracts and long-deferred necessary capital projects.

At Meet the Candidates Night, there were three candidates who had clearly done their homework.  They were familiar with the issues, had studied the co-op’s financial statements, and gave thoughtful and informed answers to questions.  These three candidates stood out for their mindfulness of the needs of all cooperators, and also for their positivity and their knowledge and eagerness to serve.

On June 15th, please join me in voting for #3 Wei-Li Tjong, #5 James Mastroianni and #6 Leah Strock, for a board that is truly cooperative, and also effective.

Jodi Zagoory
Former Member
Seward Park Cooperative Board of Directors

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

2016 Candidates

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This year eight candidates are vying for three open seats. The candidates are:

#1 – Arnold Sandler
#2 – Marc Albaum
#3 – Wei-Li Tjong
#4 – Eric Mandelbaum (sources tell us that Mr. Mandelbaum withdraw his candidacy on May 20)
#5 – James Mastroianni
#6 – Leah Strock
#7 – Tina Reiter
#8 – Betsy Jacobson

Marc is the sole incumbent.  The other two seats are being vacated by Dave Pass and Dia Shepardson.  Wei-Li and Eric both served on the board previously, but did not run for reelection when their most recent terms ended.

The election will be held on June 15.