Letter to the Editor: Iannece Responds to Walcott's Letter Over Proposed Bayside School Site

On Friday, Patch posted a story about Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott sending a letter to Community Board 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece in which he criticized him for the way that members of the city's School Construction Authority were treated during a recent public hearing on a proposed school site for Bayside.

Now, Iannece has written a response to Walcott. His letter in its entirety is printed below.

Dear Chancellor Walcott:
             
This letter is in response to your correspondence addressed to me dated May 8, 2013, regarding the Community Board Public Hearing held on May 6, 2013, involving the site selection of a public school within the confines of CB 11.               

Without going into the merits of this issue, I am shocked and appalled by the false accusations you made in your letter that I “enabled behavior” and “allowed” a meeting where an “out of control group shouted down and targeted” your staff to “abuse and threats." 

I have been Chair of Community Board 11 for over 10 years and my reputation for fairness and my ability to conduct open, transparent and orderly meetings with difficult issues is impeccable. I take great umbrage by your remarks and am very surprised that you would levy them without a complete and thorough investigation. 

All our meetings are tape recorded. No one from your office contacted me and/or my staff, nor asked to review the tape recordings. A simple investigation would have easily disclosed that at ALL times I maintained COMPLETE CONTROL and ORDER and did an exceptional job with a very controversial and volatile issue before a large, agitated audience. 

This was especially difficult in light of the poor presentation made by SCA staff that was viewed by many as condescending and at times, intimidating. The SCA staff member outrageously stated, with the clear intent to intimidate, that if not a school, a drug rehab center, a crack house, or homeless shelter could be built at the location.  

In view of the forgoing expected community opposition and apprehension, I would have expected that the staff would have been more sensitive to the community concerns considering they had attended our committee meeting regarding this issue a week prior to this Public Hearing.              

Although I was not privy and/or present to any alleged threats/abuse, anything that may have transpired did so clearly AFTER the meeting was adjourned. 

I am not, nor should I or anyone else from the community board, be responsible for inappropriate behavior by the general public that is outside our control and transpires after a meeting is held. For you to state that I “allowed” your representatives to be threatened is just outrageous and wrong. 

Inappropriate abusive behavior is not condoned and/or acceptable under any circumstances and if you feel the need to file a police report against the alleged perpetrators, I suggest you do so. 

I do, however, expect you, as Chancellor of the NYC Department of Education, to fully investigate before you make outrageous comments.                                                

As an uncompensated volunteer who has spent countless hours for the betterment of my community, I take personal offense by your remarks. It is an affront to me and to all community board chairs, who do so much for our city. 

Although, I can appreciate your desire to protect the staff, misplaced anger, compounded by erroneous accusations, doesn’t help. I fully expect an apology.                

If you want to further discuss this matter or wish to go over the tape recording together, please let me know and I will be more than happy to do it at a mutually convenient time.  I look forward to hearing from you.                                                            

Respectfully,                                                           

Jerry M. Iannece                                                      
Chair – CB 11, Queens