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Community Leader’s Political Role Raises Questions

By ALEX KRATZ

For as long as anyone can remember, Sallie Caldwell has been active in the local community, serving on various committees and looking out for her neighbors at Tracey Towers.

Caldwell is currently vice-chair of Community Board 7 (CB7) and the corresponding secretary of the 52nd Precinct Community Council (her daughter, Brenda, became president of the Council during the summer).

A year ago, Caldwell added a new hat to her civic wardrobe. She became a representative of Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, who was just completing her first year in Albany.

In an interview with the Norwood News last year, soon after she began working for Rivera, Caldwell said she helped mobilize Tracey’s residents for Rivera during her successful campaign for Assembly in the fall of 2004.

“She needed someone who knew the history of Tracey Towers,” said Caldwell at the time.

Rivera said Caldwell would be providing constituent services for Norwood and Bedford Park residents, including those at Tracey. Community Board 7 District Manager Rita Kessler allowed her to use a corner of the board office and one of its phone lines on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“It’s just a temporary thing,” Kessler said a year ago. “We’re just doing a favor for an elected official.”

Now, more than a year later, Caldwell still comes into the community board office, usually on Mondays and Tuesdays, one CB7 staffer said. But it’s unclear whether she is working for the board, or for Rivera, while she’s there.

Kessler says Caldwell does not perform any constituent services for Rivera using any board equipment.

“Sallie is wonderful,” Kessler said in a phone interview last week. “She helps with community board stuff when she’s here.”

Kessler added that if phone calls are directed to Caldwell and they concern Rivera, Caldwell always uses her own personal cell phone to respond.

But Lilithe Lozano, a staffer at Rivera’s office, said that Caldwell is employed by the assemblywoman and provides constituent services out of the CB7 office to better serve the elderly and infirm in the area. However, no one in Rivera’s office would say what hours Caldwell is available or provide information about how to reach her.

At the 52nd Precinct Community Council’s recent annual meeting, Caldwell presented Rivera with an award for her service to the community.

After the ceremony, the Norwood News asked Caldwell if she is still providing constituent services out of the CB7 office on 204th Street. She said she wouldn’t discuss the matter unless Rivera was present. When Rivera walked over, she dismissed Caldwell to talk one-on-one, but then would only say that Caldwell is her “eyes and ears in the community” but provides the same services for “everyone,” hinting that Caldwell isn’t doing anything special for her.

While briskly walking out to her SUV, Rivera said Caldwell does receive a small stipend, but wouldn’t say exactly how much it is for. “It’s so small, it’s a joke,” Rivera said, changing the topic and then jumping into the driver’s seat.

Rivera did not respond to several phone messages and a faxed list of questions requesting more details about what Caldwell does for her, and whether she provides constituent services out of the Community Board 7 office.

No local politicians have full-time offices in the Community Board 7 area.

Council Member Oliver Koppell and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who are based in Riverdale and Kingsbridge respectively, both employ staff to represent them at a satellite office at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center. Those staffers provide constituent services during a regular part-time schedule, which both politicians regularly advertise. Though the situation is different, since the Center is a private nonprofit organization that the political staffers have no relationship with, Dinowitz said he saw no real problem with using community board space to provide constituent services.

The office of Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, which oversees community boards, would not comment on whether Caldwell’s situation was unusual or improper. Spokesperson Ronnie Sykes said all questions regarding community boards can be answered in the City Charter. The City Charter says only 25 percent of community board members can be city employees but does not prohibit the staff of elected officials from serving on community boards. Nothing else in the Charter pertains to this situation.

Community Board 7 chair Greg Faulkner said the Caldwell situation fell “off my radar” after Kessler and Caldwell assured him the Rivera relationship was only temporary and other business took precedent. “My impression was that it was over,” Faulkner said, adding that whenever he sees her at board office she is doing “community board stuff.”

Faulkner said the Board’s Executive Committee would discuss the issue at its next meeting.

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