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Williamsburg Community Board Faces Catastrophe After Manager Redeems Decades of Paid Time Off

Gerald Esposito's cash-out left the board without enough money to remain operational or hire a successor.
Screen Shot 2022-10-04 at 12.42.00 PM
A screenshot from the Aug. 31, community board meeting where the resignation was announced. Photo: youtube.

Brooklyn Community Board 1, which represents Williamsburg and Greenpoint, is currently without a district manager — a vital position that fields concerns from constituents, recommends land use projects and approves liquor licenses, block party and street fair permits.

The reason? Gerald Esposito, the longtime district manager, retired after 45 years and cashed out decades of unspent vacation time, The City reported.

Esposito's cash-out left the board — which has a $257,507 budget for the fiscal year ending next June — without enough money to remain operational or hire a successor.

Dealice Fuller, the chair of BKCB 1, announced Esposito's retirement during a regularly scheduled meeting on August 31, 2022 — his last day on the job.

“Due to budget constraints, we cannot do anything with that position as of now, until the fiscal year is open, in 2023,” Fuller told members at a follow-up emergency executive committee meeting on Sept. 6."

While the exact amount of the cashout is unclear, the community board chair said it is substantial enough to leave them without enough money to be operational until the next fiscal year which begins in June.

The other person on the board’s payroll, Esposito’s office assistant, has been on medical leave for the last several weeks, according to The City.

“Neither one of the positions,” Fuller said, in reference to the district manager and the assistant role, “can be filled at this point.”

Esposito had a salary of $133,081 last year, city records show. And, in late 2018, Esposito purchased a $26,000 Toyota Rav-4 SUV Hybrid with board funds and approval from the board, which is still being paid for. It was spotted parked near his apartment several months later, The City reported.

The City could not reach Esposito for comment.




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