This year’s Seward Spark endorsements are from Micah Arbisser, who publishes the Seward Spark, Katie Roumel, a long-time shareholder, and Darshan Somashekar, a past director who served alongside the incumbents.
After reviewing the candidates’ biographies, hearing their presentations at Meet the Candidates, and reviewing the records of those who have already served, we believe the following four candidates stand out for their ability to lead our cooperative.
#6 Michelle Kuppersmith – Michelle stands out for her eagerness to improve the Board’s communication, her political savvy, and her general high level of thoughtfulness and energy. We feel the Board needs to improve its communication with shareholders. Michelle has promised to do that, and we believe she is in the best position of this year’s candidates to do so. With experience running her nonprofit, volunteering for CB3 (so she has board experience), and her general high level of energy, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm, we think she will make an excellent addition to an already very strong Board.
#2 Aaron Fineman, #3 Erica Cullmann, and #5 Doron Stember – The incumbents this year continue to be among the most hard-working, thoughtful, effective directors in the co-op’s recent memory. While communication has not been ideal (see above), in our conversations about their work on the Board they have consistently impressed us that they take their roles as stewards of our homes very seriously, that they are doing everything possible to maximize the not-always-complementary goals of near-term affordability and long-term stability (both financial and structural), and that they are listening to the very real concerns of all of our neighbors. As we head into the next phase of capital projects and with our mortgage’s maturity on the not-too-distant horizon, we need current President Doron’s leadership, current VP Erica’s work ethic, and current Assistant Secretary Aaron’s community orientation on the Board. They deserve reelection.
Lastly, a note about #4 Chris McCartin: Chris offers knowledge and skills from his career in construction management that are extremely relevant, given our coop’s upcoming renovations. Unfortunately we only have four open seats and need to choose four to endorse, but we would also be perfectly happy to see Chris elected. And even if he is not elected, we hope he will volunteer some of his time to help the Board with the renovation project.
Whether or not you agree with us, please exercise your shareholder right to vote!
Your neighbors,
Micah Arbisser
Seward Spark Publisher
Katie Roumel
Long-time Shareholder
Darshan Somashekar
Past Director