UPPER EAST SIDE — Community Board 8 held an election for its top members on Wednesday, voting to replace its vice chairman Scott Falk who has served on the board for more than a decade.
During its full board meeting on Wednesday, CB8 members voted unanimously to reelect Jim Clynes as their chairman for a third term, but voted to replace Falk with longtime member Cos Spagnoletti as first vice-chairman in the new year.
Spagnoletti beat out Falk by a vote of 31 to 11, according to CB8 officials.
Falk joined the board as a volunteer public member in January 2010, then became a full member in April that year. He's been first vice-chairman of the board since January 2015.
He congratulated Spagnoletti on his win on Wednesday, saying he will "be an excellent officer of the board."
Spagnoletti, a 68-year-old retired IT expert, has been on the board and served on numerous committees since 2000, but this will be his first time as vice chairman.
In addition to serving on the board, he is also a co-owner of Bonjour Crepes on Second and Lexington Avenues, which was the subject of a 2014 lawsuit alleging the company was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The suit was settled with the installation of a ramp, Spagnoletti said on Thursday.
With his experience on the board and in the neighborhood, he hopes his new position will allow him to be a bridge between new and old members of the board, he said.
"From what I've heard from newer members, they feel left out," he said. "I like the idea of mentoring them. Let's pass on knowledge and experience."
Spagnoletti said he's also eager to expose more residents to the community board and what it does, adding that his loyalty was to the board and not his own political agenda.
"This isn't a stepping stone for me," he said. "Many years ago, we had about six or seven board members vying for city council, but my allegiance is to the community board and I have no intention of going anywhere."
Re-elected chairman Jim Clynes, an attorney who has served two years as chairman and 10 years as a board member, will enter his third and last term next year on Jan. 1.
"I am thrilled and honored to be chosen again by my fellow board members to serve as Board Chair for a third term," he said. "I try to treat my fellow board members like family, which I think is the secret ingredient to the success of any community board because at the end of the evening we leave as one family."
Other seats were not contested. Debra Teitelbaum was elected second vice-chair; Daniel Dornbaum and Gayle Baron were both elected secretary.
