CB 9 District Manager Mary Ann Carey is retiring Oct. 1 after more than 30 years of service. File Photo
Three decades of service will come to an end this October for Community Board 9 District Manager Mary Ann Carey.
Carey, who first assumed the role under the Mayor Ed Koch administration, announced her retirement on Monday, putting an end to the longest tenured community board district manager role in the entire borough.
“I have overseen many projects too numerous to mention here and worked with four borough presidents, dozens of legislators, commissioners, district managers and their staff,” Carey said. “In my thirty-five years of service to this great city with very little exceptions, I loved every minute.”
The district manager did not speculate as to who could step in when her retirement goes into effect in October.
Carey’s time with CB 9, which covers Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven and Ozone Park, did not go without turbulence. She was placed on a six-month probation in June of last year after the board initially tried removing her from the $94,670-a-year position, citing frustrations with communication and the speed with which issues were dealt.
At that time, CB 9 decided to never vote on a motion to fire Carey from the post, but instead underwent a heated four-hour meeting and an hour-long executive session considering placing her on a six-month probation.
CB 9 member Alex Blenkinsopp, who did not comment on Carey’s retirement, took to Twitter as the board mulled over her probation saying others on the board were “pretty much in the dark” about issues, including a controversial Ozone Park rezoning last year.
“Mary Ann didn’t fill us in adequately,” he said on Twitter last year.
Nonetheless, Carey said she would put the probation behind her in the months following the decision. Her retirement announcement on Monday elicited plenty of praise after her decades-long career with the board.
“I congratulate Mary Ann on her much-deserved retirement. She has done so much for our community, and for so long. It’s difficult to imagine anyone truly filling her shoes,” said CB 9 Chairman Ralph Gonzalez. “She can be proud of the legacy she’s leaving at Community Board 9. I know that many people in Queens and on the Board join me in thanking Mary Ann for her years of dedication.”
Former CB 9 Chairman Jim Cocovillo said Carey’s retirement was well deserved and wished her the best.
“She has been a great district manager for many years and I wish her the best of luck. The board will miss her.”
Looking ahead, the borough president’s office will be working alongside CB 9 executives to look for a new district manager, which Cocovillo said would be a long and intense process. The process will officially begin after the next board meeting, CB 9 said.
“It is definitely going to be a difficult decision,” Cocovillo said while unable to speculate who the post could possibly go to next. “We’re not just trying to replace her years of experience – we need to make sure we have the pest possible candidate. It has to be a thought out process over time.”
By Phil Corso
