Long Beach City Council Votes for New Member

Last week, the Long Beach City Council voted unanimously to appoint Chumi Diamond to a seat on the board.

Diamond is replacing Eileen Goggin, who was elected a Nassau County District Court judge in November. The four remaining council members spent the beginning of the year accepting resumes from residents interested in the position. Last week, at a special meeting, they settled on Diamond, a 37-year-old law clerk.

But not everyone was happy with the pick, or the way the appointment was made.

According to the Long Beach Herald, James Hodge, the chairman of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center board, protested at the meeting against the way the council held the vote. Since it was a special meeting and not a public meeting, the public was not allowed to comment.

"You’re not allowing the community to speak — it would have been wonderful to do this at a public meeting," Hodge shouted at the board.

Despite the protest, Diamond was voted in. She will serve out the remainder of Goggin's term and then will be up for election in November.

Photo: Chumi Diamond, second from right, was unanimously voted to a seat on the Long Beach City Council. City of Long Beach.