Stay tuned to the Crawler for broadcast info. on swearing in of new Board members/election of 2021-2022 Board officers next week, channel 12 (MATV) and channel 591 (Optimum)
Vol. 56 No. 24
Saturday, June 12, 2021
$1.25
Incumbents win re-election; one new Board member added
Leslie Peterson
Daryl Johnson
Kevin Lambright
Leah Richardson
By ROZAAN BOONE
All four incumbent directors seeking re-election to the Riverbay Board of Directors this year were reinstated by Co-op City shareholders who also voted in one new Board member, a first-time entrant in the Board race. This year’s field of 12 candidates was divided into two slates, “Team Progress” and “Stronger Together,” and three candidates who ran as independents, though one withdrew from the race. Incumbent director Leslie Peterson, running with the “Stronger Together” slate, was the top vote getter with 2,548 votes; followed by fellow incumbent director, Daryl Johnson, an independent candidate, in second place with 2,542 votes. Incumbent director Kevin Lambright, who ran with “Team Progress,” scored third place with 2,530 votes, and fellow director Leah Richardson, a “Stronger Together” candidate, came in fourth having garnered 2,478 votes. Shareholder Anika Green-Watson, one of eight new entrants in this year’s Board election, won the fifth place spot and the last remaining open seat on the fifteen member Board, with 1,823 votes. Ms. Green-Watson ran with the “Stronger Together” team. The top five vote getters will be sworn in next Wednesday, June 16, 2021, to serve three year terms on the Board of Directors. The Board meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. in room 45 of the Einstein Center
Anika Green-Watson
and while it will only be in-person for Board members and Management due to social distancing protocols, the ceremony will be recorded for broadcast on the Riverbay Crawler and the corporation’s YouTube channel at a later date. Stayed tuned to the Crawler for more information as details of the broadcast are finalized. The crawler can be accessed on channel 12 (MATV) and channel 591 (Optimum). This year’s candidates included more shareholders who were running in the Board election for the first time than has been the case in quite a few years. Of the 12 candidates who initially entered the race, apart from the four incumbents, only one shareholder, Aminah Lucio, was a returning contestant. All others are shareholders who have not run for the Board in the past. The 2021 Election Committee chair and cochair, Directors Francine Reva Jones and Michelle Marbury, respectively, as well as the veteran Board directors, encouraged the newcomers to remain engaged and involved in the community, and praised the candidates for stepping-up and participating in the election to serve on the community’s policy making body, the Riverbay Board of Directors. “I have chaired or co-chaired the election committee many times,” said Director Jones. “This year however was much more challenging than past years due to the coronavirus pandemic and everything was done virtually. Congratulations to all of the candidates for running positive campaigns, and (Continued on page 3)
Mayor announces Proposal to Expand Childcare for Working Families By BRANDON ORTIZ
BY TORIEA McCAUSELAND Early voting for New York Primaries begins today, Saturday, June 12, until Sunday, June 20, in room 31 at the Bartow Center. Voting will start as early as 7 a.m. and end as late as 8 p.m. on some days. Please see page 5 for the entire early voting schedule. For the first time, residents will vote by Ranked Choice Voting for important
A new initiative announced last week by Mayor Bill de Blasio could potentially expand low-cost and free childcare services in New York City to include an additional 15,000 children. The Mayor and his administration are supporting potential State legislation that would raise the qualifying income threshold for subsidized child care and allow parents who work only part-time to qualify for full-time child care support. More specifically, if the necessary legislation passes, the new qualifying income threshold for subsidized child care in New York City would be $70,000 for a family of four. Currently, families of four who gross under $49,025 annually are considered eligible for financial assistance, according to the New York State Department of Health. "Red tape can’t get in the way of our city’s recovery,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press release. “To really bring our city back, we need our State partners to step up and help more working families qualify for childcare. Together, we can beat back COVID-19 and create a stronger and fairer city.” New potential legislation would also change a previous requirement that families who qualify for subsidized child care can only receive that child care for the same amount of hours the parents are working. Instead, full-time child-
(Continued on page 5)
(Continued on page 5)
Early voting for New York Primaries begins today!