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Votes at a glance: CB11 merges committees, approves Portofino license renewal; other bylaws motions withdrawn
Summary
At the May 22 meeting Community Board 11 approved a bylaws change to merge the economic development and public safety committees and approved a liquor-license renewal for Portofino with abstentions; several proposed bylaws changes about speaker registration were withdrawn.
Bronx Community Board 11 approved several administrative items on Thursday, May 22, including a bylaws change to combine the economic development and public safety committees and a recommendation of no objection for the renewal of the liquor license for Portofino. Other proposed bylaws amendments related to gallery-speaker registration were withdrawn or tabled.
The board voted to amend Article 5, Section 1 of its bylaws to merge the economic development and public safety committees into a joint committee going forward. The chair called for the vote after committee discussion; the motion carried after a show of hands and recorded objections and abstentions were noted in the minutes.
The board also considered a renewal application from Portofino (described at the meeting as a primarily coffee-based establishment that holds a liquor license). The proprietors answered questions about two incidents reported last year (a shooting that occurred outside the premises and the removal of gaming machines that had been stored on-site). The committee recommended a letter of no objection to the State Liquor Authority for the renewal; the board carried that recommendation after several members abstained.
A separate bylaws motion to allow in-person registration for gallery speakers up until the start of a full-board meeting (intended to clarify the 36-hour pre-registration rule implemented for remote meetings during COVID) was discussed at length and ultimately withdrawn by the bylaws committee. Committee members said the 36-hour remote-registration rule remains in effect for remote speakers; the committee debated whether written bylaws should include an explicit exception allowing the chair or district manager discretion to permit late in-person sign-ups in specific cases.
Other procedural items handled at the meeting included nominations for treasurer (Veronica Castro) and sergeant-at-arms (Harry Centinella), whose names will appear on the ballot at the board ballot next month.
