Debra Markell Kleinert has been removed as District Manager for Community Board 2, prompting a number of fellow district managers across to express outrage at what they described as a decision driven by “personal animus.”
Markell Kleinert, who served as district manager for over 18 years, was issued a termination notice earlier in February, with CB2 Chair Anatole Ashraf confirming to QNS that “board members collectively made a personnel decision” to remove her from her post.
Ashraf said the board had followed an “established process” during Markell Kleinert’s removal, adding that he could not comment any further because the issue was a personnel matter.
At CB2’s monthly meeting on Feb. 5, Ashraf told the Queens Chronicle that community boards do not need a reason to fire district managers because they are at-will employees.
Still, a number of community board members from across the city have expressed support for Markell Kleinert, expressing “outrage” that she had been “summarily” fired from her position.
Joseph Marziliano, district manager of Queens Community Board 11, Mark Diller, DM of Manhattan Community Board 2, Rafael Moure-Punnett, DM of Bronx Community Board 6, and Michelle George of Brooklyn Community Board 8 signed an open letter to the Chronicle outlining their support for their ousted colleague.
They said 47 other district managers across the city supported the letter.
“We are outraged not only that a colleague who is known to have served with dignity, professionalism and distinction for such a long period can be made the subject of an attempt to summarily fire her,” the district managers wrote in the open letter. “There is the appearance that personal animus may have driven this ouster.”
The letter acknowledged that Markell Kleinert was an at-will employee but argued that even at-will employees “deserve due process and an understanding of why they were fired.” It also added that Markell Kleinert deserved to be treated with “dignity and respect.”
“The community deserves a process that is transparent, principled and fair, one that reflects the values of good governance that community boards are meant to uphold. Certainly, any district manager should not be subjected to an abrupt dismissal conducted in a way to silence them,” the letter stated.
Markell Kleinert did not return QNS’s request for comment, while Ashraf said CB2 made the decision after following all established procedures.
CB2 made the decision following a special meeting on Feb. 12 that was closed to the public, in accordance with New York State Open Meetings Law for personnel matters, Ashraf said.
However, the Chronicle reported a terse exchange between Ashraf and Markell Kleinert at the Feb. 5 meeting, with Markell Kleinert reportedly alleging that CB2 had offered no proof of misconduct or documented failure.
She cited a number of “compliance issues,” accusing CB2 of asking her to hand over Zoom passwords, which she said she was unable to do as a city employee.
Markell Kleinert further stated that she had to comply with city rules and regulations and accused CB2 of pressuring her to break the rules.
“They want me to comply with whatever they tell me to do,” she told the Chronicle.
Markell Kleinert previously launched a campaign for the 23rd Council District in 2021 after former Council Member Barry Grodenchik announced that he would not be seeking re-election.
Markell Kleinert came fourth in a crowded open primary after earning 15.1% of the vote, with Linda Lee ultimately prevailing over Jaslin Kaur in the final round of ranked-choice voting.
Her career in civil service includes an eight-year stint as the Queens director on the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit, working as a liaison between Queens residents and City Hall for both the Guilani and Bloomberg administrations.
She also had a short spell with the Department of Housing and Preservation before securing a position as CB2 district manager in 2006. Markell Kleinert, who was raised in Flushing, also served as chair of the Flushing Hospital Advisory Board.
