Community board member ousted

A critic of re-zoning in Douglaston and Little Neck, who clashed with a Bayside Councilman and has served four years on Community Board 11, was abruptly denied a reappointment to the board.
Chris Petallides, who opposed the new R2A re-zoning that Bayside Councilman Tony Avella sought to implement in Douglaston and Little Neck, was informed via a letter from Borough President Helen Marshall that his spot on the community board would not be renewed; all members must seek reappointment every two years.
In her letter dated March 28, Marshall wrote, “As you know term limits have resulted in an unprecedented turnover of all Queens City Council members. As a result, there are many more applications than can be accommodated. I’m therefore, unable to reappoint you to the Board at this time.”
CB 11 Chair Jerry Iannece wrote a letter asking Borough President Marshall to retract her initial decision, listing Petallides’ exemplary attendance at all meetings and credentials as a professional engineer and President of the Queens Chamber of NYS Society of Professional Engineers. Also, at a recent meeting, CB 11 members passed a voice vote asking Marshall to change her decision.
In the letter, Iannece said the only reason he could think of as to why Petallides was not reappointed was “his active opposition to the recent re-zoning of large portions of our community,” surely referring to his disagreements with Councilman Avella. “I think it’s pretty apparent,” said Iannece, regarding Avella’s role in the situation. “Can I say without a doubt [that was the reason]? I can’t. But I think the writing is on the wall.”
Sources confirmed Iannece’s suspicions that Councilman Avella requested Petallides not be reappointed in a meeting with Borough President Marshall.
As per community board regulations, each member has to file for reappointment every two years. Although some seek out Councilmen in their area, others send their renewal application to the borough president, like Petallides. “I’m not happy by the way it was done and I see no justification for it,” Petallides said. “The purpose of being on the community board would be to decide on an issue one way or another for the benefit of the community, to not have to look over your shoulder every time we decide on something. We’re not there to rubber stamp everything a politician presents to us. Then it’s a waste of time.
“As far as I was concerned, that’s exactly what I was doing, raising my opinion,” he continued. “I feel I have something to offer, not only for the community board but for the community.”
Unfortunately, Petallides, who said he will stay active within the community and may join the Little Neck-Douglaston Civic Association, will not be able to do so for CB 11, unless Borough President Marshall does an about face.