By Jon Schuppe
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Manny Velazquez, the chairman of Community Board 12, abruptly resigned this week after Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer raised concerns that he had circumvented the board on official business.
Stringer's general counsel sent a letter to Velazquez on Monday outlining two instances in which he had made decisions that should have been brought to the board for a vote. In one, Velazquez offered someone a job on the board. In the other, he gave approval for a restaurant's controversial liquor-license application.
On the same day as the letter, Velazquez sent Stringer a letter saying he was stepping down immediately as chairman. He cited "personal and professional commitments" but did not elaborate.
According to Stringer's office, Velazquez will remain a regular member of the board.
Stringer, who appoints all community board members, did not comment on Velazquez's behavior. He released a prepared statement this week that gave no indication that he was troubled by the issues raised in his earlier letter.
“Over the past three years, Manny has worked productively, as Chair, with his fellow board members and the community at large to address critical issues and challenges faced by the Washington Heights and Inwood communities,” Stringer said. “I commend Manny for his service."
Velazquez, a Dean at I.S. 52 in Inwood, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
It isn’t yet clear who Velazquez offered a job. Board members said they never were told about it.
The liquor license issue apparently relates to D’Noche, a new restauarant on Sherman Avenue in Inwood.
Liquor licenses have become a hot topic in Inwood, as more restaurants open and residents complaint about late-night noise. Earlier this month, public officials protested outside D’Noche, saying the owner hadn’t informed the community board about her attempts to acquire the license, and that the State Liquor Authority shouldn’t have issued the license.
The authority responded by releasing letters from three community leaders supporting the June 2008 liquor license application: disgraced former council member Miguel Martinez, a local pastor, and Velazquez.
When questioned by the Manhattan Times, a neighborhood newspaper, Velazquez said he didn’t mean the letter to be a formal endorsement and that it was not supposed to replace a board vote.
The community board, which represents more than 208,000 residents of Washington Heights and Inwood and receives no salary, first voted Velazquez chairman in December 2006. He was re-elected twice. Earlier this year, he ran unsuccessfully for the city council's open District 10 seat.
Board members have spent much of the week trying to figure out what happened. District Manager Ebenezer Smith, who runs the board's offices and implement its actions, said Stringer's office told him of the resignation on Tuesday night but was given no explanation.
"I haven't spoken to (Velazquez)," Smith said today. "I don't know the reason."
Community Board 12 will hold elections on Dec. 15 to determine Velazquez’s replacement as chairman, Smith said. Until then, the acting chair will be Pamela Palanque North, the board’s first vice chair.
