By Jodi Zagoory, former SPC Board Member

Serving on Seward Park’s board is one of the most meaningful ways a shareholder can contribute to our community — but serving as a director is  also one of the most misunderstood roles in cooperative living. It’s not about having power over your neighbors or influencing decisions for personal benefit. It’s a serious, voluntary commitment that demands integrity, humility, and a genuine dedication to the collective good.

So what does the job actually entail?

Policy, Not Management

At its core, a director’s role is to set policies that the management company carries out, and to vote on the wide range of issues that arise in the day-to-day business of the cooperative. Directors do not order staff around directly — that’s management’s job. The board communicates to management what it wants done, and management handles the how.

Monthly board meetings cover everything from reviewing the co-op’s financial reports to voting on sales, sublets, and changes to stock certificates. Directors are also responsible for decisions about contracts and leases, legal actions against vendors or shareholders, capital projects, budgets, borrowing, and the selection of the co-op’s attorney and accountant. In short, the board shapes the financial and operational direction of Seward Park as a whole.

Fiduciary Duty Comes First

Every decision a Seward Park board member makes must be grounded in one question: what is in the best interests of the corporation? Not what’s best for a friend, a neighbor, or even themselves. Directors are bound by New York State Business Corporation Law and the co-op’s governing documents — the proprietary lease, bylaws, and house rules — and they must act in accordance with the governing documents at all times.

This duty means strict confidentiality about shareholder matters, zero tolerance for discrimination, and an absolute prohibition on preferential treatment for family or friends. Directors receive no compensation of any kind. The work is entirely voluntary.

The Character a Good Board Member Brings

Beyond the legal duties, what separates a good board member from a great one comes down to character. The best directors are open-minded — willing to consider perspectives and information that challenge their initial assumptions. They are inclusive, making sure that the voices of all Seward Park shareholders, not just the loudest ones, are considered when decisions are made.

Great board members are also willing to compromise. Rarely does any single director have all the answers, and the best outcomes for Seward Park almost always emerge from a process of give and take. A director who digs in and refuses to budge — regardless of what they hear from colleagues or shareholders — isn’t serving the community; they’re serving their ego. Being a team player is not a soft quality; it’s a core requirement of the job. The board functions as a unit, and its collective decisions carry far more weight than any individual opinion.

Perhaps most importantly, great board members are honest — even when honesty is uncomfortable — and they are willing to engage with people who disagree with them. Constructive disagreement, handled respectfully, is how boards arrive at the best outcomes for Seward Park. A director who surrounds themselves only with like-minded colleagues, or who avoids difficult conversations, isn’t serving the community well. The ability to sit across from someone with a different view, listen genuinely, and work toward a sound resolution is not just a nice quality — it’s an essential one.

A Rewarding Form of Public Service

Yes, the role is time-consuming. Directors review contracts, proposals, reports, and legal documents. They attend monthly meetings and carry the weight of decisions that affect hundreds of Seward Park shareholders and the businesses that serve them. But like any form of voluntary public service, there is real satisfaction in helping guide our community forward — making it safer, more financially stable, and a better place to call home.

If you’re considering a run for the Seward Park board, go in with clear eyes about what the job demands. And if you’re the kind of person who listens before speaking, welcomes a challenge to your thinking, knows when to compromise, and puts the community above yourself — you’re exactly who our board needs.