After more than three decades with the same leader, Community Board 9 is set to get a new chairman after board members and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams pushed for change on the local government body.
Rabbi Jacob Goldstein has served as the chairman of CB9, which covers south Crown Heights and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, for 34 years, holding the position every year except one since 1979. A longtime local and Army chaplain with a former career in city government, Goldstein has rarely been challenged for the board’s top spot, according to members.
But in a vote set for Tuesday evening, Goldstein will not be a candidate for the seat. Despite being nominated in May to run for the position — according to CB9’s district manager — the longtime chairman will not seek reelection, said Adams, whose office oversees community board appointments.
“Rabbi Goldstein has decided, after conversations with my office and others, to complete his service as chair of Community Board 9,” the borough president told DNAinfo New York in a statement issued Monday.
When reached by phone Monday, Goldstein declined to comment.
The reasons given for the change in leadership vary, as do opinions on how it will affect the board. To some members, especially those who joined CB9 recently, the shakeup is the result of a concerted effort to get “new blood,” as one member put it, into key positions on the board to more effectively deal with challenging issues in the area, like land use changes and the need for affordable housing.
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