Tag Archives: Wolfson

2026 Seward Spark Endorsements

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After reviewing the candidates’ biographies, hearing their presentations at Meet the Candidates, reviewing the records of those who have already served, and speaking directly with most of the candidates (apologies to those with whom I did not connect), choosing candidates to endorse for all open seats has proved uniquely difficult this year, but I believe that #2 Craig Lehner, #7 Karen Suss Wolfson, #8 Laryssa Shainberg, #10 Nicole Napolitano, and #13 Phung T. Nguyen are the best choices for our co-op’s leadership.

The Seward Spark strives to endorse candidates with varied skills and backgrounds, who are in touch with the needs and desires of different segments of our co-op’s diverse population, who seem to understand the demands (and limitations!) of Board service, and who will be able to work cooperatively with others on the Board.

Two candidates stand out from this crowded field:

#2 Craig Lehner — Craig is a guy I said “hi” to in the elevator countless times, but only really met once he decided to run for the Board. He has impressed me. Craig brings financial savvy at a level above all of the other candidates and sitting Board members, seems totally genuine and very energetic in his desire to serve the co-op, and has the disposition to make productive contributions in the Boardroom.

#7 Karen Suss Wolfson — Karen has been on the Board for decades and represents extraordinary institutional memory and a deep connection to many, many neighbors. She has also worked hard over the years on screening committee matters and is a consummate professional, managing to stay out of the fray whenever Seward politics grew heated. 

I divide the remaining candidates into roughly three groups:

  1. Incumbents Darcey Gerstein and Jessica Kramer have worked incredibly hard in their roles on the Board. I genuinely like them personally, am awed by their dedication to their roles, and have consistently supported them in their past campaigns. But in my opinion, they have grown too defensive about things that many shareholders view as missteps, and a break in (hopefully not an end to!) their Board service might give them a fresh perspective and give the co-op more room to move forward.
  1. The “Cooperators Slate” of Guido Hartray, Maria Ibañez and Rachel Wilkerson, together with their supporters, have mounted an impressive organizational effort to push back against the way our campus renovation was planned. I had a really good, lengthy conversation with all three of them at one of their campaign events. But I (and other neighbors) found the tone of their group’s communications to sometimes be divisive and condescending, and I fear they underestimate the challenges of actually serving on the Board. If they win seats, however, I sincerely hope they will prove me wrong.
  1. I consider the others less “aligned,” but among them I lean toward Laryssa Shainberg, Nicole Napolitano, and Phung T. Nguyen. They are distinguished by Laryssa’s community board experience and friendliness, Nicole’s outstanding Meet the Candidates presentation and unusual background (criminal justice), and Phung’s background as a Big 4 consultant and accountant and his activism for the children’s playroom.

Please join me in voting for #2 Craig Lehner, #7 Karen Suss Wolfson, #8 Laryssa Shainberg, #10 Nicole Napolitano, and #13 Phung T. Nguyen.

Whether or not you agree with the above choices, however, please exercise your shareholder right to vote via proxy or on June 9 in the lobbies.

Your Neighbor,

Micah Arbisser
Seward Spark Publisher

2026 Board Candidates

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This year a whopping 13 candidates are vying for four open seats on the Seward Park Cooperative Board of Directors. The candidates are:

#1 – Guido Hartray
#2 – Craig Lehner
#3 – Maria Ibanez
#4 – Lee Slater
#5 – Willow Ayers
#6 – Darcey Gerstein
#7 – Karen Suss Wolfson
#8 – Laryssa Shainberg
#9 – Jessica Kramer
#10 – Nicole Napolitano
#11 – Rachel Wilkerson
#12 – Kenneth Fried
#13 – Phung T. Nguyen

Darcey, Karen and Jessica are all incumbents seeking reelection. The fourth seat is being vacated by Betsy Jacobson, who was appointed recently to fill the vacancy left by Carol Anastasio’s resignation. Lee Slater previously served on the Board from 2006-2008. None of the other candidates previously served, although Nicole Napolitano is the spouse of former director Charles Liberman and Kenneth Fried is the child of former director Freda Fried.

Guido Hartray, Maria Ibanez and Richel Wilkerson have already circulated materials to a select group of shareholders saying they are running as a slate. So far, no other slates have emerged.

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.