Drama at CB4, 6/7/6; Part 2: Beverly B, E, J, A

Drama at CB4, Beverly Beja, B, E, J, A episode

The Players:

Mr. Shipp--Acting Chairperson CB4

David Mojica--District Manager CB4

Ms. Mangual--Representative for the Bronx Borough President

Ms. Anita Antonetty--CB4 Recording Secretary

Beverly Beja, B, E, J, A--"Former" (according to Ms. Mangual) Municipal Services committee member, Housing and Land Use committee member, member of the Bronx Landmarks Task Force of Fernando Ferrer's office...

Lukas Herbert--CB4 Housing and Land Use Comittee, professional Urban Planner

Background:
In our last episode we saw Lukas Herbert enter the motion to REJECT the slate that was hand-picked by Carrion. Athough it was seconded, that motion didn't get very far (doesn't sound like Robert's Rules to us, but definitely par for the course). Assurances were made, however, that nominations from the floor would be accepted at the 6/27/6 CB4 meeting. That didn't happen, of course.

This episode will see the development of a real villain, Ms. Mangual, who is the representative of the BP. Notice her thuggish ways. Where on earth did she learn them? Whatever school she attended, she had a very good teacher!

NOW THE DRAMA (sorry, not much comedy this time, folks!):

Ms. Beverly Beja: I am a Municipal Services committee member, Housing and Land Use committee member, member of the Bronx Landmarks Task Force of Fernando Ferrer's office...

Ms. Mangual: Former, former.

Ms. Beja: I'm part of the 44th Precinct's council. Well, of course, former. Sorry that it's former the way things are looking right now because this is outrageous. I would like to know who is this Gloria Jean Benfield for the Housing and Land Use? Who is this? Who is this person? I mean that I know that Mary Blassingame has been the chair of the Housing Committee that has made such progress through the years that it is absolutely unbelievable. You mean to say Adolfo Carrion gave George Robinson a list of names?

Mr. Mojica: That's not true.

Ms. Beja: ...never heard of.

Mr. Shipp: No, we are not saying that.

Ms. Beja: He never heard of Mary Blassingame. Her name was not on there. What criteria? Again, you're not answering. You are avoiding. You are evasive. You're getting away from it. I mean what's going on in this community is an absolute disgrace on the community board.

Ms. Mangual: Who are you?

Ms. Beja: You want to know who I am? I am a community resident who has lived here when it was tops, when it went down, still here fighting for the community; vice president on the Committee to Make the Grand Concourse Grand Again. That's who I am, a person who cares about this community. I, all of a sudden, find a meeting was canceled. A meeting was canceled. Oh, John Shipp, who I love--no offence to John Shipp--is acting chair. Oh, what happened to Ade Rasul. Ade Rasul, who has worked in this community, who fights for the people of this community, all of a sudden he's terminated from a volunteer job because he didn't vote for the Yankee Stadium. This is just the beginning.

Ms. Antonetty: Actually, he did vote for the project. He just didn't deliver.

Mr. Shipp: Let one person speak.

Ms. Mangual: She's (Beja) out of order. She's out of order. You (Shipp) should not allow this to happen.

Ms. Antonetty: She's (Mangual) not running the meeting, he (Shipp) is.

Ms. Beja: It's not allowed? This is a democracy. This is a democracy.

Mr. Shipp: Let's hear one person.

Mr. Mojica: She (Beja) really is out of order.

Ms. Beja: Carrion is carrying on. He's going to find out a lot. He thinks this community is stupid, submissive, we don't care, and that we accept things the way they are. We are not. We are fighters. We are hard working people. We are intelligent people; and we will not have this done to people who love our community, who have been years in this community, who fight for the community. I looked at the list. I was presented with the list of people who were reappointed. People that I know, again, on committee after committee not fighting for themselves, not getting things for themselves, but for this community. They're not gone. Oh, look who's name is on. I was at the meetings she voted for the Yankee Stadium. Oh, I know that name she voted. How do I know? I was at the meetings. Where are my friends who opposed it? Why did we oppose it? To help our community. Asthma, the trees; My question is what's in it for Carrion to not only be in favor of the Yankee Stadium he has a right to be but then to get rid of everyone that didn't go along, that opposed it. Tell him that it's an absolute disgrace. If he thinks he's running for mayor, he doesn't know anything. You made the mistake; you asked us to identify ourselves I've identified myself.

Ms. Mangual: Yes, because I need to make my notes clear.

Ms. Beja: You make them very clear. The name is Beverly.

Ms. Mangual: And you, when someone speaks over here, they should identify themselves.

Ms. Beja: OK, we identified when we introduce ourselves.

Ms. Mangual: You never gave your name.

Ms. Antonetty: Yes, when she introduced herself.

Ms. Beja: The name is Beverly Beja; B, E, J, A.

Ms. Mangual: Thank you.

Ms. Beja: Put it down. Mark it down. Maybe he'll fire me from something, too.

Mr. Shipp. Thank you for your remarks.

Ms. Beja: It's outrageous, it's outrageous.

Mr. Shipp: Thank you for your remarks. Now, you have an opportunity, as we said before, on the 27th to come back, make the nominations from the floor, and have your vote. Thank you very much.

Ms. Antonetty: There's no motion on this item?

Mr. Shipp: No.

Mr. Herbert: A motion was asked for and now?

Ms. Antonetty: There's no motion as far as...

Mr. Shipp: You made a recommendation. You vote on the next meeting. You have your vote, then you have the nominations, and then we take them from the floor or whatever the Nomination Committee suggests.

Mr. Herbert: Did you not ask for a motion when I made my motion?

Mr. Shipp: We did. We cleared that.

Mr. Herbert: No, it wasn't made clear to me. If you could explain it to me, that would be fine.

Mr. Shipp: What we said was you made a recommendation, all right. After we had looked at the procedure, you made a recommendation because we said that you would be voting for your officers at the next meeting. So now what we would do at this time is decline the voting.

Mr. Herbert: OK.

Mr. Shipp: OK. All right, let's move on.