Adaline Walker-Santiago, the chair of Community Board 7 who brought a cheerleading style to her leadership, unexpectedly resigned on April 17. In her announcement to members and the general public at the latest community board, Walker-Santiago pledged to remain a member of the north Bronx board. Her resignation as chair is effective April 30.

Walker-Santiago told the Norwood News shortly after her announcement that her decision to step down stemmed largely from freeing up her time. She said she plans to travel abroad, spend more time with family, and continue serving as a life coach.

For the last five years, Walker-Santiago served as chair of the board covering Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Fordham, and University Heights. She succeeded Paul Foster, a former board member. In her time, Walker-Santiago has hosted numerous public events, including a summit on synthetic marijuana, a women’s empowerment event, and an honorary brunch for military veterans.

But a source familiar with Walker-Santiago’s decision said her decision was also prompted by political pressure from Councilman Ritchie Torres, who told her to step down following her relationships with the last previous district managers. Walker-Santiago is a Torres appointee.

Torres, through a spokesperson, denied the charge. Walker-Santiago said the same, deferring to her prepared remarks she made at the general board meeting.

Community board chairs are not, though they direct the actions of the district manager, a salaried administrator who serves at the pleasure of the board. Walker-Santiago’s powers extend beyond the Board. As the sitting chair of a board where the Kingsbridge Armory resides, Walker-Santiago was allowed to choose members of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center’s Community Advisory Committee.

Barbara Stronczer, the board’s first vice chair, will assume the role of chair until the board votes in a new chair.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.