Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee (Photo: Queens Borough President’s Office)
June 5, 2020 By Christian Murray
If the community was looking for answers as to what led to the firing of the Chair of Community Board 2 this week, it didn’t get them at last night’s monthly board meeting.
Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee, who earlier this week decided not to reappoint chair Denise Keehan-Smith to Community Board 2, refused to provide a reason when asked last night during a full board meeting that was held online.
Meanwhile, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who also weighs in on appointments, did not participate in the online meeting so was not available to field questions. Van Bramer’s constituent liaison Jack Bernatovicz represented him but did not address it.
“I will not explain my reasons,” Lee said, who took time out to join the online meeting despite being on her way to a vigil. “I think it would be a slippery slope. It would not be constructive.”
Keehan-Smith, who had been chair since 2016 and was reelected to the position by the board by a 32-0 vote in November, was not reappointed to the board this week much to the shock of many board members.
Lee said that it is wrong to characterize Keehan-Smith’s departure as if she were dismissed. She said every board member gets a two-year term and has to reapply—and that her term was complete.
“Each member has a two-year term and at the conclusion of those two years there is an application process for each member,” Lee said. “To suggest anyone was dismissed or removed I would say that is simply not true.”
Lee appointed 339 members to the 14 community board in Queens this month. It is very rare, observers say, for a board member with a good attendance record not to be reappointed. In fact, that was the primary reason why good-governance advocates pushed for community board term limits.
“Every single appointment, every single decision of each application was not made lightly,” Lee said, adding that “I will not go—nor am I legally required to—go into all the reasons why I did or did not make my decisions.”
The primary driver for Keehan-Smith’s departure apparently centers around a discrimination complaint filed against her by Community Board 2 district manager Debra Markell Kleinert.. The complaint, which was signed March 19, accused the ousted chair of being “abrasive” and “abusive,” according to the Queens Eagle that was provided with a copy of the document.
Keehan-Smith said she was not aware of the complaint and only learnt of it through the media late last month. Borough Hall is not releasing it, saying it is a confidential.
Keehan-Smith said she has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, nor has she been contacted about an investigation. When she asked borough hall for a copy of it last week, she was told it was confidential and she was not permitted to have it.
However, it still remains unclear whether this was the reason for her not being reappointed.
Patrick O’Brien, a former CB2 board chair, asked Lee whether it was appropriate for an “interim appointee” with a short amount of experience to dismiss a long standing chair who was well received and well respected by board members.
He said that the allegations in the complaint may or may not be true but that it was unfair that Keehan-Smith was not informed about them and did not have an opportunity to even address them.
O’Brien told Lee that there was “a great deal of anger and resentment” in the action she took. He noted that his upset dealt more about the process in which Keehan-Smith was dumped, as opposed to the individuals involved.
Lee, however, insisted that it wouldn’t be constructive to answer.
O’Brien said the board was left with an “utter lack of transparency” and said “what you gave are avoidance answers,” and added that her selection was “a very flawed and unfair process.”
Lee said the process was not flawed and that she stood by her decision. “The process is no different than years passed and I actually don’t think it was an unfair process at all. No single individual is entitled or guaranteed to a seat on a community board.”
Stephen Cooper, a long-serving board member, told Lee that the process was unsettling. “It is a concern when a community board loses its leader without [the board] voting her out.”
Meanwhile, board member Ben Guttmann told Lee that while he understood why she need not explain every appointment he thought that given it was the chair maybe it might be warranted.
Lee said she would reserve comment and that she stood by her appointments.
Van Bramer has yet to respond for comment on Keehan-Smith’s departure.
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13 Comments
Tyrant, seems a bit too much hate over a disagreement over what are frankly fantastic bike lanes. The Skillman business community’s reaction via the Queens Streets hate movement was way over the top. Jimmy has the high ground here! Let it go!
This is part of JVB’s vindictiveness. He knows most of Sunnyside and Long Island City hate him for being two-faced. He promised his Skillman Avenue business friends one thing and then turned his back on them when AOC arrived. He did the same thing in Long Island City with Amazon.
It’s strange because these former friends got him elected in the early days. His political victory parties used to be at Aubergine and his campaign office was run out of Dorothy Morehead’s office. His holiday parties were at Mandicatus Rustica.
He is filling the board with fresh faces who don’t know his history of duplicitousness whose opinions will just upset his former friends even more. There is the vindictiveness.
By the time the fresh faces work it out, our narcissist in chief will be out of office and wondering why no one likes his social media posts any more. These people won’t like them because he will be irrelevant.
His old friends who would have stuck with him for decades no longer have an ounce of respect for him. It’s a tragic.
Sounds and smells like blatant discrimination
They’re always playing identity politics. The person complaining never mentioned that but ok…
I’m fine with the acting BP’s answer. There is an ongoing investigation into Denise’s misconduct- one that clearly isn’t going well for her and could broaden and escalate quickly.
Besides, not reappointing someone is perfectly within the Elected’s rights, and she isn’t the only high profile person that wasn’t reappointed. Nothing to see here, really, and nothing that needs explaining either.
Amazing that the same folks ….who for years have rallied for transparency, tolerance, equal treatment……..somehow turn out out in the end to be the most intolerant, opaque and corrupt. I wonder if “JVB” would be willing to let us know what his plans are after he leaves office? And yes none of my business….unless there is some kind of promise or “Quid pro Quo” . Why drop out of the race suddenly? Then disappear? It will be quite interesting to find out where he lands…..
Ms. Lee’s actions make John Liu look really bad. He stuck his neck out as a mentor to her, and she blew it. Clamming up to protect JVB? Really?
A woman got accused of elder abuse and being an anti-semite by a coworker, and she doesn’t get to read the report? But we all get to hear the gossip “leaked” to the press. Shady Sharon Lee. Cold-hearted. Good luck with the rest of your political career.
So much for open honest transparency in government.
Larry Penner
“It would not be constructive.” Really? What an evasive answer from the acting QB President Lee.
Yes, you certainly do owe the community a better answer, especially since this is the Board’s chair. This is one of the few duties of the Borough President that has direct community impact.
And JVB still owes the community an answer. If you have time to protest, surely you have time to draft a statement.
JVB, why are you hiding after doing this dirty work? No explanation why a greatly admired Chair was not re-appointed, after being re-elected 32-0 by the Community Board members. You are petty and vindictive. Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee is also a coward. Nothing to say. People are not fooled.
All voted for #2 Lisa Diller for #1. Then Sharon Lee’s group tried to prevent Patrick O’Brien from #2 spot. Like new people on strings to get his paid off person up to #2. Corruption much?
We all know JVB had something to do with it. She was a great CB2 chair.
JVB, you are still our councilman, correct? Please address your constituents. It was disappointing that you did not participate in yesterday’s CB2 meeting nor have offered comment.