Karla Cabrera Carrera, the former assistant district manager of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), was elected as the new district manager for the board during CB7’s general board meeting held April 27. Cabrera Carrera was voted in following 20 votes in the affirmative and 6 abstentions.

 

She has been hired at a salary of $96,000 per annum. As reported, the position of district manager had been vacant since the departure of former district manager Ischia Bravo who stepped down at the end of last year to take up a new role as Bronx County Clerk.

 

Cabrera Carrera was generally showered with congratulations and words of encouragement following the vote. CB7 chair Yajaira Arias said, “We look forward to continuing to work with you, and allowing our board to grow to a bigger and better Bronx CB7.”

 

For her part, the newly elected district manager said, “Thank you all and thank you for your vote of confidence. I will not let you down, and I’m open to any feedback. You can email me, you can text me any time. I’m always looking forward to [improving] in any way and I’m open to constructive criticism as well.”

 

During her nomination process, Cabrera Carrera said her vision for CB7 was to increase capacity through training of staff and board members, to better address the needs of the community, and to increase community engagement efforts by promoting the role of the community board to all community members.

 

The new manager is a Bronxite, a mother, a CUNY alum, and a migrant from Guatemala City. She holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Lehman College, and a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College. Cabrera Carrera spent over 11 years working in city government and accumulated a decade of experience working in public health and health promotion at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

 

She was hired as the board’s deputy district manager in November 2021 and prior to her latest role, had been the acting CB7 district manager since January 2023.

 

Cabrera Carrera also has prior experience in community organizing in The Bronx through grassroot groups she co-founded, which include Friends of Tremont Park and Bronx Femme Run. She also has experience in the food justice domain as the manager of community gardening group, Garden of Happiness. “My goal as district manager is to increase community engagement by educating residents on the role that Bronx CB7 has in the community, as the most grassroots level of government,” Cabrera Carrera later told Norwood News.

 

In other CB7 news, it was confirmed that Bronx Week Parade will take place on May 21 but not on Mosholu Parkway this year, to the disappointment of at least some local residents. Instead, it will be held on the Grand Concourse at 170th Street. Board member Andrew Laoisa questioned who, when, and why the decision was made to move the parade to the Grand Concourse. Cabrera Carrera said the decision was taken at the level of the Bronx borough president’s office and committed to following up to obtain a response on the questions.

 

On Tuesday, May 9, Tracey Towers resident, Sally Caldwell-Paris, told Norwood News that a number of residents at the Jerome Park residential towers were also disappointed by the decision and felt there should have been more discussion and warning about it before it was taken. She also wondered if local elected officials had been involved or aware of the decision prior to its announcement.

 

Norwood News contacted District 11 City Councilman Eric Dinowitz for a comment on the move. His spokesperson provided the following statement: “The Bronx Week Parade is a wonderful event that celebrates the diversity and culture of The Bronx. Despite the change in location, it’s important to recognize the Norwood/Bedford park section of the Bronx as a bustling hub of activity with much to offer.”

 

During her remarks at the launch of Bronx Week 2023 at the Bronx Children’s Museum, on Monday, May 8, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson made reference to the parade being “back” at the Grand Concourse, where it had been 20 years ago. Norwood News reached out to the Bronx borough president’s office, referencing the disappointment of Bronx Community Board 7 residents at the move and asked for comment on why the decision was taken to move the parade to the Grand Concourse.

 

A spokesperson for the borough president responded, saying, “After twenty years of the Bronx Parade taking place along Mosholu Parkway during Bronx Week, we decided to return to its original location which is the historic Grand Concourse.” The statement continued, “Each year during Bronx Week, we aim to give all Bronx residents a different experience as we highlight our Borough and the amazing talent of our students and school communities. We hope each year to attract even more residents and families to participate in Bronx Week festivities and we look forward to an amazing and energizing week ahead.”

 

We asked if there was a possibility that the parade location might be rotated to different neighborhoods in future years. The spokesperson responded, saying, “Since this is the first time we are having it on the Concourse, anything is possible for next year, but for this year we are excited to see it return to this iconic Bronx boulevard.”

 

During the latest CB7 general meeting, it was also announced that two flagging events to honor local veterans are set to take place in May, one at the Bronx Victory Memorial on May 13 at 11 a.m., and another on May 24 at 10 a.m. in Woodlawn cemetery. A veterans’ resource fair will be held on June 3 (more details to follow), and the board’s annual resource fair will be held the last week of June. See our latest Out & About and Neighborhood Notes features for details of these events.