Thirteen new members have been appointed to Community Board 12 (CB 12), the board's chairperson, Alan Dubrow, told attendees at last night's meeting of the Albemarle Neighborhood Association.
Annie Ferdous, Mamnunul Haq, and Akiva Kizelnik were appointed by Brad Lander, councilmember for City Council District 39, to replace Fredrick Cassera, Chaim Israel, and Abu Khalquzzam.
Mr. Lander's district covers Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Street, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, and Boro Park, although only Kensington and Boro Park fall within CB 12's boundaries.
Ms. Ferdous is a co-founder of Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts and was one of the organizers of the Kensington World's Fair. Mr. Haq is a Community Health Worker for the DREAM Project at the Center for the Study of Asian American Health at the NYU Institute of Community Health and Research and co-founded the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
Board members are appointed for a two-year term; the term for half of the fifty board members had expired. Many of the current board members have served on the board for multiple terms. When asked how to apply for the community board, Mr. Dubrow said to file an application at the community board office or the Borough President's office. He was then asked what the qualifications are for serving on the board, and he replied "You must live or work in the neighborhood. Some is politics."