Dickens, Cabrera and Palma resign from Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus
William Alatriste
New York City Council members Annabel Palma, Inez Dickens and Fernando Cabrera said they would be resigning from the council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus in a letter to the group’s executive committee.
The letter, dated April 20, noted that the three lawmakers were “dissatisfied and disappointed” with what they described as a “less than equitable voting process” for selecting the caucus’ fiscal year 2017 budget priorities.
“This short notice resulted in affected members not submitting their priorities in time, leading to the possible disqualification of underrepresented groups from having the opportunity to be prioritized for Speaker funding,” they wrote in the letter.
Dickens’ chief of staff, Lermond Mayes, confirmed Thursday that she had resigned from the caucus, commonly referred to as BLAC. Mayes said the councilwoman did not want to discuss the resignation publicly because she viewed it as an internal matter to be resolved among members. Dickens wants to give members a chance to address her concerns in-house, Mayes added.
Palma said she had the utmost respect for her colleagues in the caucus and planned to work with them in different contexts.
"My decision was a difficult one, it was a culmination of wanting to devote more time to focus on the particular needs of my district, as well as coming to terms with some philosophical differences for how I felt the caucus should function,” Palma said in a statement. "I am proud of what we were able to accomplish as a group; a group that celebrated and advocated for more diversity and inclusion within our great city."
Cabrera did not respond to a request for comment.
Councilman Ritchie Torres, who co-chairs the caucus with Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., declined to discuss what led to the resignations, saying it would be “improper” to publicize the group’s private discussions.
“For an organization to maintain the trust of its membership and to function effectively there needs to be a code of confidentiality,” he said. “It would be improper for me to comment on the internal workings and politics of the BLAC. What is said in the confines of the BLAC is done so confidentially.”
Torres added that, as the largest caucus in the Council, it is inevitable that BLAC’s 25 members – a total that includes Dickens, Cabrera and Palma – will not always agree and will have to work through disagreements.
“I think of the BLAC like a marriage – even the best of marriages have moments of contention and conflict, and ebbs and flows,” Torres said. “You might have a spouse, who at one point contemplates divorce, but then ultimately never goes forward with it. Those three members are deeply valued members. … I’m confident that tempers will cool over time, and we’re going to remain a cohesive caucus.”
This story has been updated with a comment from City Councilwoman Annabel Palma. You can read the letter below: