The incumbent at the top of the ticket won, but it was an evening of change nonetheless at Community Board 7.

The veteran district manager, Rita Kessler, announced her resignation and Greg Faulkner, who became chairman two years ago after former chair Nora Feury resigned from the position just weeks before the election, defeated longtime board member Don Bluestone by an unofficial vote of 25-9 (official counts are not publicized).

"This is a new day at Community Board 7," Faulkner said as a deep smile spread across his face after the results were announced. "I’m going to celebrate this for about 20 minutes and then get back to work."

Faulkner’s slate of candidates for the three vice chair positions also prevailed by a similar margin, except for Paul Foster who became first vice chair when his opponent, the incumbent Sallie Caldwell, a long-serving member, was not reappointed to the board by Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion a few weeks before the election. (Staff members of elected officials – Caldwell works for Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera – are no longer eligible for board positions, Carrion’s office said.)

For third vice chair, Hector Lopez defeated incumbent Dave Laguer, saying in his pre-vote remarks that, as a lawyer with a background in finance, he wanted to make all the board’s finances and dealings as transparent and tidy as possible. Andrew Laiosa, the former board secretary, unseated longtime board member Stuart Davis for second vice chair.

Meanwhile, Feury won an unopposed bid to take over Laiosa’s position as secretary and long-serving treasurer Barbara Stronczer retained her title without facing a vote.

Feeling of optimism

Following the announcement of the results, the atmosphere in the jam-packed board office was jovial as members, both new and old, expressed a general feeling of accomplishment and optimism.

Faulkner and running-mate Foster looked at each other, smiled, and embraced. "We did it," Faulkner said, allowing himself a moment to revel in his victory. "A clean sweep!"

Longtime member Dexter Cruzado said he liked the fact that the new officers were a good mix of older and newer members, which would combine the productive qualities of experience and fresh blood. For the past few years, he said a "divide-and-conquer" mentality between the old and new members had divided the board.

Praising Bluestone as a quality candidate, Cruzado said the board was lucky to be choosing between "two really good guys."

John Harris, a board member for the past few years, was ecstatic about the board’s potential under new leadership. "We haven’t seen the greatest part of this board," he said.

In defeat, Bluestone graciously praised Faulkner for his previous work on the board and wished him luck in the future.

"One of the reasons I ran was because Greg had never been elected by a majority vote," Bluestone said. "Now, Greg should feel very good and his leadership should have a clear mandate."

From the beginning of the campaign, Bluestone and Faulkner both said the fight would not devolve into a bout of personal attacks and both acknowledged at the meeting and afterwards that it never did.

But that didn’t stop departing District Manager Rita Kessler from letting her feelings be known once the sweep was announced. "Lord have mercy on this board!" Kessler blurted out for everyone to hear as she walked back to her office. Earlier, Kessler announced that, indeed, after 18 years she would be resigning from her position, effective Friday, June 29.

Faulkner said his most urgent point of business would be the hiring of a new district manager.

Following the vote, Faulkner addressed the board, thanked his supporters and reminded everyone that tough issues were facing the board this summer, including choosing a new developer for the Kingsbridge Armory (see story page 6). That means that instead of calling it quits for the summer, Faulkner said some committees would probably need to meet and some special sessions might be called.

Victory celebration

Also on Faulkner’s immediate agenda will be choosing committee heads, which he said he’d be looking at in the coming weeks.

After the three-hour meeting, both winners and losers milled about on East 204th Street as Faulkner rounded up his slate and supporters for a victory celebration at the Bedford Park Diner.

Under street lights, new member Fernando Tirado, who recently moved to Bedford Park from Queens and has been attending board meetings for the past few months, said he was excited to see Faulkner and his slate take over leadership. "I’ve been paying attention for the past few months and [the new officers] seem very sincere," he said.  

Tirado is one of nine new members that attended the meeting, along with all 25 old members. Bluestone said the two best things about the meeting were the turnout (the only time anyone could remember that everyone showed up) and the talent and enthusiasm of the new members. One of Faulkner’s challenges, Bluestone said, would be finding ways to engage the vibrant cast of new members.

As Faulkner walked to the diner with board members Judith Freeman and Tirado, he received a congratulatory call from Deputy Borough President Earl Brown.

Meanwhile, Freeman said this election could be a turning point for the board.

"We can finally move on and push forward on some of the issues facing this community," Freeman said. "I think we can really make a difference for the first time."