Upper East Side's Community Board 8 Elects A New Chair

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Members of the Upper East Side's community board elected a new chair Wednesday night during an hourslong meeting that featured pointed questions and accusations of negative campaigning directed at both candidates.

Russell Squire, an attorney, was elected Community Board 8 chair by a 31-15 vote over Shari Weiner, an attorney and licensed realtor. Two members abstained, including outgoing chair Alida Camp, who has led the board since 2018.

The vote came after members questioned Squire and Weiner for nearly three hours about their plans, qualifications, and rumors that surrogates for one or both candidates had made personal calls to fellow members, seeking to classify them by who they were supporting. Both candidates denied any direct involvement.

Most members ultimately chose Squire, 36, who described himself as a lifelong Upper East Side resident and vowed to run board meetings efficiently while stepping up CB8's outreach to neighborhood schools and residents of public housing.

"I want to be the board chair because I see that as a way to serve the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island even more," he said.

Squire is currently co-chair of CB8's Environment and Sanitation committee and serves on the Street Life committee. He is also President of the Lexington Democratic Club, but plans to step down from that position in January, when he begins his one-year term as chair.

Squire said the board chair — an unpaid position charged with leading meetings and appointing committee chairs — should minimize their own personal views and focus instead on supporting the full board.

Asked about his own positions on recent hot-button topics, however, Squire said he was skeptical of the "bulky" Lenox Hill Hospital expansion plan and was also inclined to oppose the current proposal to expand the New York Blood Center.

Weiner, a longtime New Jersey resident, moved to the Upper East Side eight years ago but still serves as township attorney of Livingston, N.J. — a position she planned to give up next month.

Like Squire, she promised to speed up lengthy meetings, and also vowed to increase the board's social media presence and improve neighborhood quality of life by focusing on schools, parks and housing.

Both candidates were also asked whether they planned to seek elected office in the future — Squire said he could not speculate, while Weiner, who formerly served as mayor of Livingston, N.J., said her political career was over.

Some members objected to that line of questioning, saying the board should not stifle members' political ambitions. Camp defended it, citing past concerns that CB8 was becoming overly political.

During the questioning, member Craig Lader expressed frustration about the level of negativity directed at Weiner and Squire, saying it was unlike anything he had seen in two prior races for board chair.

"This has turned into something that I would expect to see in a political election," he said.