Altman’s non sequitur send-off:
“The overwhelming majority of the Board of Directors remain committed to always working tirelessly to build up, and never tear down, our cooperative.”
Who exactly are the board members Altman has identified as cooperative vandals? He’s too classy to name names; the policy he prefers is innuendo.
I’m going to go waaaay out on a limb here and suggest that Altman took exception to a letter distributed last month by board members Lee Berman and Peter Herb, “Even directors are kept in the dark.” In that letter, Berman and Herb spoke out about how the overwhelming majority of directors — that is, all nine beside them — have enabled some irresponsible operational habits: monthly financial reports are not provided regularly; the budget, three months late, is approved with no discussion; and major policy shifts are passed with back-of-the-envelope analysis.
Those are specific charges, with which I assume Altman disagrees — if so, I’d like to hear him refute them on their merits and not resort to thinly veiled attacks on the character and motives of Berman and Herb.
Let’s look at the bigger picture here. There are 5,000 people living at East River, and not all of us agree on every single thing. We don’t have to, no one should expect us to. What we should expect is that those disagreements happen with as much adult-sized integrity as we can muster, using respectful words to soften our provocations. Challenging questions incite discussion, not riot; wanting to build the coop up in a different way is not the same as wanting to tear it down.
I think it was an excellent, timely and on target letter. Jeremy, your post and critique is a clear case of “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”
You may be right about me — maybe too sensitive since the candidates I supported got their butts whupped last week.
But do you really think it’s on target to say there are members of the board working to tear down the coop? I’m genuinely asking, maybe I’m blind to this kind of subversion because I’m friends with them, or part of the problem.
I don’t think grown-up arguments should be made this way. Obama doesn’t hate America, and Trump doesn’t want to turn us into Nazi Germany. Maybe I think one of them has really stupid ideas about the Constitution that would, when carried out, be a disaster for the country. But that’s not the same as saying either one wants disaster. It’s even more important in a very small community to not fall into this trap.
The shareholders have elected a board using full due process. The Board now needs to turn their attention to the issues at hand and accomplish positive things for all of us. There is no need for the constant hysteria generated by CY on every letter or memo put out by our Board or management office. This is a form of subversion and the constant negative vibes and barbs affect the quality of life for others. Please allow the democratically elected Board to function. People need to be aware and involved but this die hard mission of putting down the Board and management at every turn is not appropriate.
Pat, I think that’s good advice. I will try to police my own over-reactions. Someone else’s obnoxious behavior (in my opinion) is no excuse for my own.
Jeremy, the tone you have witnessed is classic Grand Street political operating procedure. Nothing new.
no you won’t. even in this reply above, you were snarky. you can’t help it.
yes. i believe that berman and herb, who had to run as a block to get elected, (remember berman served and then lost the next election when he ran as lee berman, solo act), have no right, once they are on the board, to turn against the majority of the board publicly, in order to load down the board with his cronies. that may be politics, but then grow a pair and say that’s what you’re doing. do you remember the film “dog day afternoon”? do you remember what al pacino told the detectives when they asked him to let a hostage out? do you remember him asking them to kiss him because he likes to be kissed when he’s being _______? be bold and tell us your little group wants to take over, and to hell with anyone who can’t afford the maintenance? one of your group actually said, “the old-timers? let their adult kids help with the maintenance.” that’s not cooperatively “yours.” that’s capitalistically yours.” why don’t you just own it? you didn’t fool us this year and you won’t fool us next year. our eyes have been opened.
It’s appalling that he bemoans a lack of candidates on democratic grounds in one breath and then childishly derides the democratic activities of new and lesser known candidates in the next.
That sort of soft bullying ought to be called out by all in the coop you are genuinely concerned for its healthy governance, regardless of who one supports.
I’d like to personally THANK Jeremy and all of the other CY VOLUNTEERS , for promoting RESPECT, Transparency and democratic policy shift. Thanks again !
and you remain even classier in your attempts at sarcasm. do you think that lee berman’s sneaky attacks on the board he serves on, is a “class act”? your group lacks complete and utter transparency. i remember Bram Weisser’s attempts to find out exactly who you are and who funds “cooperatively yours” and his answers sounded like Hillary Clinton wrote them. i also remember how you were almost “gushing” about sheldon silver’s verdict, which, as I said before, was disgusting. you keep thanking each other – your little group of brokers and lawyers who really are attempting to up-end this cooperative. it is no secret that you do not only desire to make money, not for the coop, but for yourselves as you continue to run brokers on your ticket. you added the old-timer woman to your ticket to trick other old-timers into thinking that your morals and motives arent’ despicable. your problem, like lots of schemers, is that you think you’re the smartest kid in the class. and you’re not.
and p.s. — no one believes you want to “build the coop up” in a different way means anything other than raising flip taxes, raising maintenance, and throwing Frank’s Bike Shop out for a Starbucks. You know, in the end, money doesn’t make you happier. Stop trying to displace people who have been here for generations so you can line your pockets with profits, or rent out your place as an AirBNB, or hold onto a rent-stabilized apt. in Stuyvesant Town while living here. you guys haven’t been honest out of the gate so we can only guess what you would do once in power. and once again, KELLER- WILLIAMS is one of the biggest real estate companies in the world. fyi.