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Volume XIX • Number 13 • April 12 - 18, 2012 •
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Controversial group fails in Woodlawn coup By MIAWLING LAM The incumbent board of the Woodlawn Heights Taxpayers & Community Association has thwarted a hostile takeover bid, among charges that a controversial Riverdale-based group was behind the attempted coup. A small contingent mounted an ill-fated campaign to shake up the board of the 116-year-old activist organization during this week’s ballot elections. More than 200 residents, who pay annual dues of $10, packed into the cafeteria at St. Barnabas High School in Yonkers on Monday night to elect their representatives. Under siege and incumbent president Christine Sheridan, who has been on the board since 2004, was visibly nervous as she schmoozed the crowd until voting closed at 8 p.m. After an anxious 90-minute wait, she got the announcement that she’d successfully managed to fend off challenger Marie Flynn-Hennebry by a vote of 90-59. An overwhelming majority also voted to keep the other incumbent members in power. The closest race was for the position of assistant treasurer, where Rob Thompson narrowly beat Mary Doheny-Faughnan by a vote of 78-70. An overwhelmed Sheridan, who was swamped with congratulatory messages following the announcement, said she
was looking forward to working with the next generation. “Winning or losing, what’s important is that we work together and we get these young girls on our committees,” she said. “These young girls are our future, and I hope it’s the start of them joining our group because we’ve been around since 1895.” In a brief concession speech, Marie Flynn-Hennebry reiterated the opposition group’s commitment to the area. “We’re not going anywhere, and we’re going to look forward to working together,” she said, before promptly leaving with her fellow members. This year’s election campaign was embroiled in controversy after the opposition party launched personal attacks against the current board and accused them of bullying and beating down new members. Rumors swirled that an outside group—the Kingsbridge/Riverdale/Van Cortlandt Development Corporation—helped the challengers mobilize and unseat the current members. Several sources claimed more than 30 new members were added to the roster of the Woodlawn group in March in a bid to stack the membership in the lead-up to the all-important elections. According to longtime member Mary V. Lauro, this
rush to sign up new members was unprecedented. “At the previous meeting there were 30 new members who wanted to sign up. That never happens.” In any given month, she said, two new members was more typical. According to literature circulated by the challengers on Monday night, members were urged to vote for change and demand that the bylaws and rules of the association be followed. “To date, the current has refused to provide members with association expenditures and account information. Every request has been denied by the current board,” the flyer read. “The sense of entitlement to a permanent seat of the Taxpayers Board must be stopped.” Despite concerted efforts, Woodlawn resident Eileen, who withheld her last name, didn’t buy into talk that the current board were flouting rules. She said the challengers ultimately failed because they did not mount an effective campaign. “I think the results would’ve been different had we known anything about these new people that were campaigning for ‘change,’” Eileen said. “I, for one, didn’t know anything about them. I don’t even know who they are or where they came from. I’ve Continued on Page 5
Work begins this week on Stella D’oro mall; 500 parking spaces seen By MIAWLING LAM Up to 500 parking spaces will be provided free of charge at Riverdale Crossing, the yet-tobe-built $80 million shopping mall at the former Stella D’oro cookie factory site. Project developers Metropolitan Realty Associates revealed the significant number of parking spaces would become available once the highly anticipated mall opens in October 2013. News of the complimentary parking dropped when MRA president Joseph A. Farkas led members of the press on a personal tour of the site last Monday. He said although security would patrol the lot to ensure subway commuters don’t exploit the facility and park there all day, the provision would ultimately benefit the community. The tour was strategically scheduled ahead of MRA’s appearance before Community Board 8’s economic development committee on Wednesday, April 11. Laying out his vision for the mall, Farkas predicted Riverdale Crossing, located on Broadway between West 236th and West 238th streets, would become a destination mall. “A lot of the allure of the
project is that it’s a center and it’s also a destination,” he said. “It’s all about the retail experience that we’re trying to develop here. We’re trying to make it a nonborough location and bring a little bit of suburb to the borough.
“The intent is to create a very inviting, very picturesque streetscape. It’s not going to be a situation which, we hope, people come and leave.” Although no topic was offlimits during the 40-minute
walk-through, Farkas declined to speculate on future tenants. He said apart from the mall’s anchor tenant, BJ’S Wholesale Club, who will occupy more than 118,000 square feet of space on West 237th Street, no other ten-
ants have been confirmed. Ripco Realty is currently recruiting retailers to set up shop in the north building, a two-story portion of the mall where seven parcels of land totaling 36,832 Continued on Page 2
Artist’s rendering of the Riverdale Crossing entrance at West 237th Street and Broadway.