By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
CHINATOWN — Members of a community-based planning group attempting to create a rezoning plan for Chinatown clashed Monday amid accusations that the neighborhood's diverse makeup is not fairly represented by the group, throwing the years-long effort into question.
A fraction of the membership of the Chinatown Working Group — which has grown to include more than 50 member-organizations across Chinatown and the Lower East Side over the past two years — believes the leadership structure needs to be reorganized to better reflect the community.
They have recommended replacing the outgoing co-chairmen with a group of 10 "rotating" chairpersons representing all the member-groups.
The discussion essentially turned into a back-and-forth debate without any clear solutions reached or leaders tapped.
"I think the most danger we're in is losing the interest of people [involved]," said member K Webster, as some attendees simply walked out of the meeting or dozed off during the two-hour session.
The stalemate began last month when representatives from some of the organization's member-groups publicly blasted the current leadership for what they saw as allowing the city too much influence over the selection of a planning consultant to help guide the rezoning process.
This coincided with the conclusion of the two co-chairman's terms, raising questions over who would lead the body.
Co-Chairman Jim Solomon — who was lauded by most at the meeting for his hard work during the process — said members who have publicly disagreed with the Working Group's decisions may be undermining the entire effort.
"Press conferences are not a process," he said of last month's decision by some members to publicly express their discontent with the Working Group. "Press conferences are delivering ultimatums."
However, a few attendees representing outside organizations characterized the entire process as exclusive and ill-fated, despite the gains made by getting so many differing parties to the table.
"This is ridiculous," said Norma Ramirez, president of the organization Action By the Lower East Side.
"The Latino community is not being represented here. It does not represent the Hispanics and the blacks in this community," she added.
SoHo Alliance director Sean Sweeney — who has publicly sparred with Chinatown advocates over how the rezoning as well as efforts to create a Chinatown business improvement district have infringed into SoHo — said the rezoning process would ultimately prove fruitless.
"I don't see a happy future with this [plan]," he said. "It's not going to work, folks."
