Farrah Kule Rubin has been appointed as the new district manager for Bronx Community Board 8 after a unanimous vote at the board’s general meeting on May 9. Rubin officially stepped into the position on June 5.
The long-time District 8 resident is taking over for Ciara Gannon, who left to work as the director of community boards and legislative affairs for the Bronx Borough President’s office in February. Gannon had been the CB8 district manager since 2018.
CB8 encompasses the neighborhoods of Fieldston, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil and Van Cortlandt Village.
Previously, Rubin was a representative for former New York State Sen. Jeffrey Klein, who represented the 34th Senate District which encompasses parts of the Bronx. Rubin also worked for ex–District 13 City Councilmember Mark Gjonaj as the director of constituent services and community outreach.
“I’ve been involved with many areas of the Bronx, and [I] got very familiar with different community boards throughout the Bronx and different organizations throughout the Bronx,” Rubin said in an interview with the Bronx Times.
A search committee composed of CB8 Vice Chair Bob Bender and board members Omar Murray and Julie Reyes met over Zoom on March 22 to discuss the 22 applications they received for the vacant district manager position. The committee then interviewed three prevailing candidates and identified Rubin as the top choice.
Following a second meeting with Rubin attended by CB8 Chair Laura Spalter, Treasurer Scott Krompinger, the search committee and board members, the group concluded they found the best person for the job.
The board meeting with the entire board on May 9 was the final step in the election process. Rubin needed majority approval to be appointed as district manager – she received unanimous support.
Rubin’s salary was recommended to be around $95,000 per year by Spalter and Krompinger, according to the Riverdale Press.
“It just gives me a very big boost of confidence and support to take on this position and know that I have the backing of the board,” Rubin said. “It’s very, very heartening.”
During the first few months of her new position, Rubin said she hopes to spend time developing stances on key issues for the district, such as the area’s New York City Housing Authority developments and other affordable housing issues.
Rubin also explained that she has a particularly “vested interest” in education and schooling issues because her children grew up in District 8.
“There’s a lot of issues,” Rubin said. “I am going to make more of a stance on them as I really get familiar and comfortable in the position here.”
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