Tag Archives: Wolfson

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

2020 Board Candidates

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This year five candidates are vying for four open seats on the Seward Park Cooperative Board of Directors. The candidates are:

#1 – Michael Tumminia
#2 – Karen Suss Wolfson
#3 – Darcey Gerstein
#4 – Adam Cohen
#5 – Carol Anastasio

Karen, Darcey, and Carol are all incumbents seeking reelection.  The fourth seat is being vacated by Dave Pearson, who served for three years. Michael previously served on the board, including as president. Adam is new to the co-op’s electoral politics.

The election will be held on June 17, 2020.  We have not yet heard whether there will be in-person voting this year or whether all voting will be conducted by mail and online due to the pandemic.

And the winners are…

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Congratulations to Karen, David, Darcey, and Carol!

The final, certified vote tallies were:
#4 Karen Suss Wolfson 793
#5 David Pearson 529
#2 Darcey Gerstein 498
#3 Carol Anastasio 465
#1 Arnold Sandler 421
#6 Norma Ramirez 408
#7 Stanley Friedland 394
ABSTAIN 2

Based on these numbers, at least 878 shareholders cast votes.

Thanks also go out to outgoing Board members Norma Ramirez and Harold Aranoff for their service to the co-op.

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

2017 Board Candidates

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This year seven candidates are vying for four open seats on the Seward Park Cooperative Board of Directors. The candidates are:

#1 – Arnold Sandler
#2 – Darcey Gerstein
#3 – Carol Anastasio
#4 – Karen Suss Wolfson
#5 – David Pearson
#6 – Norma Ramirez
#7 – Stanley Friedland

Darcey, Karen, and Norma are all incumbents seeking reelection.  The fourth seat is being vacated by Harold Aranoff, who served for six years.   Of the other candidates, both Carol and Stanley previously served on the Board.  Arnold ran last year, and David is brand new to Seward Park elections.

The election will be held on June 14, 2017.