Craig Hammerman at a public meeting in 2015
Community Board 6 district map
By now, most everyone in the neighborhood has probably heard that Craig Hammerman, Community Board 6's longest serving manager, has resigned his post. The resignation comes after an incident in his private life became quite public earlier this year.
Hammerman had taken a leave of absence during the summer. His last day of work was October 11.
Below is a statement by Community Board 6's Chairperson Sayar Lonial:
After twenty-five plus years of service, Craig Hammerman has submitted his letter of resignation and, on behalf of the Board, I have accepted that resignation. Craig sent out a letter on Friday, October 6th stating that his last day of work would be October 20th, but after careful consideration all parties involved agreed that, in fact, his last day of work for our Board would be Wednesday, October 11th. I want to thank Craig for his years of service.
After what can only be described as a difficult time for everyone involved, we thought the decision to make a clean break was the best decision. I want to thank the members of the Finance, Personnel and Law Committee for devoting so much of their time dating back to May of this year, throughout the summer and into the fall. Daniel, Deb, Dolly, Mark and of course our committee Chair Jerry Armer; your dedication to the goodwill, good standing and good future of this Board can never and should never be called into question.
The institutional knowledge that Craig brought with his years of experience will be missed, but times change, and with those changes we ourselves must look to change; not as something to fear, but instead as an opportunity. I must once again thank Liza, Sarah and Ty for their ability to keep our office running smoothly throughout the summer and ask that they continue to do the amazing job they have done, allowing us the time during this transition to post, interview and find the right person to be the next District Manager of Community
Board 6.
With regards to next steps, we need to speak to our counterparts at the City, post the job and start the interview process. The interviews will be handled by the Finance, Personnel and Law Committee, with approval of any candidate coming back to the full board for a vote for approval.
I want to thank the members of the Board for their patience and I look forward to turning the page, and turning our whole focus back to the work of our neighborhoods and community.
Craig Hammerman, a Brooklyn native, is well known in Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Gowanus, and Cobble Hill, the neighborhoods served by CB6. During his tenure as manager, the district saw many changes and development pressures, from the controversial Lightstone development on the shores of the Gowanus Canal, as well as the loss of, and subsequent plans for the former Long Island College development in Cobble Hill, to name just a few.
Hammerman navigated these issues with knowledge, but his sometimes cynical attitude could stand in the way of local residents engaging with their community board, especially in the past few years.
As issues like the re-zoning of Gowanus corridor loom, it will be interesting to see who will be hired to replace him.
Any thoughts?
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