May 11, 2017 2 min read community

CB6 District Manager Takes Leave Of Absence Amid Allegations Of Stalking

Brooklyn Community Board 6 (District Manager Craig Hammerman is seated second from left) Photo via NYC.Gov

At Wednesday night’s Brooklyn Community Board 6 general meeting at PS 32 in Carroll Gardens, the board’s chair announced that long-time District Manager Craig Hammerman is taking a leave of absence.

“The Finance, Personnel and Law Committee has held three meetings and we have spoken to the NYC Law Department. As a committee we are considering what, if any, actions should be taken, and of course we are working to ensure that the daily operations of Brooklyn Community Board 6 are being performed,” began the statement that CB6 Chair Sayar Lonial speedily read.

The announcement comes after it was recently revealed that Hammerman has been arrested multiple times for allegedly stalking his ex-girlfriend.

“Let me remind each of you as I stated last month, we must let the legal process take its course,” Lonial continued. “With all that said, our board is a public forum, and we are at our strongest when we have the trust of the community.”

“Although the FPL Committee can recommend a range of disciplinary actions, any such action would require a motion that would have to come to a full board vote,” he explained.

[Left – Right] Kim Maier, Executive Director, Old Stone House; Gilly Youner, co-President, Park Slope Civic Council; CB6 District Manager Craig Hammerman; Daniel Wiley, Community Coordinator for Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez; John Frost, E.D. of Bikeshare Program, DOT; NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg; Council Member Brad Lander; Doug Gordon, Brooklyn Spoke; Citi Bike General Manager Jules Flynn; Paul Steely White, E.D. of Transportation Alternatives. (Photo by BKLYNER, August 2016)

Hammerman, who has been the District Manager of CB6 since 1990, has been arrested three times in the past two years, Patch reports. The first incident occurred in 2016, but those charges were dropped, so no details are available on that case. He was arrested again in March 2017 for allegedly stalking his ex, and then again in April 2017 for violating the restraining order she filed against him.

Members of the community board claim that Hammerman did not inform them of his arrests, according to Patch. He has a court hearing scheduled for June 9.

“I am very appreciative of our District Manager’s request for a leave of absence during this undoubtedly stressful time for him,” Lonial said.

The FPL Committee will continue to meet to discuss what action to take.

“This will be the only public statement that I will make on this topic at this time,” Lonial said, “I urge each of you to do whatever you think is right for not only yourselves but for the board at large.”