Local Pol makes Daily News Front Page

South Brooklynites woke up on the morning of Dec. 27 to find City Councilman Carlos Menchaca’s picture on the bottom of the New York Daily News’ front page.

Menchaca was reported to have let three staff members go before Christmas, according to the Daily News — who ran their exclusive article online Dec. 26 and printed the same article in its Dec. 27 issue. An unnamed former staffer told that paper that the decision was “part of a trend,” believed to have been “fueled by Menchaca’s relationship with life coaching guru Gillian Kaye.” Kaye was said to have helped manage Menchaca’s employees through her consulting services, and led a one-day staff retreat for his employees in 2018, reportedly costing $4,450. Kaye was also previously recorded as a campaign contributor for Menchaca, giving $500 during his first run for City Council in 2013, according to NYS Board of Elections’ financial disclosure report from July 2013.

The Daily News also stated at the end of its article: “At the start of 2018, Menchaca lost a staffer a month in January, February, March and April, according to public records. Two of them had worked for Menchaca for fewer than six months.” Menchaca’s Director of Communications Anthony Chiarito emailed the Red Hook Star-Revue on Dec. 27, declining to comment about the Daily News article and staffing terminations.

According to Kaye’s LinkedIn page, she’s the founder and president at Gillian Kaye Consulting and Coaching, and has been consulting for non-profits, foundations, government agencies and communities since 1989. There she helps individuals and groups work towards transformation and change through expert coaching and consulting, retreats, training and workshop designs. Some listed clients include U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, American Cancer Society and The Municipal Arts Society. Kaye also lists community engagement and partnerships, collaboration and planning, coalition building, organizational development, training and facilitation as her specialties on LinkedIn and her professional website. She states on her website that coaching can take place via phone, Skype or in-person at Brooklyn and Manhattan locations.

Kaye’s also currently listed as the Chairwoman of the Board for PortSide NewYork, located in Red Hook. According to PortSide NewYork’s website, Kaye directed the Brooklyn Recovery Fund (BRF) of the Brooklyn Community Foundation in 2013 after Superstorm Sandy hit. There she “led the foundation’s initiative to create, promote and fund disaster recovery and resiliency for Brooklyn’s coastal neighborhoods through funding, organizing and strengthening local neighborhood recovery collaboratives to promote strong social networks, increase social capital and create greater community resiliency.” During her yearlong role as director, she also developed and promoted written action guides and policy recommendations for long-term community recovery.

Carolina Salguero, the founder and president of PortSide NewYork, briefly spoke with the Red Hook Star-Revue on Dec. 28, explaining she originally met Kaye in 2013 when Kaye led the BRF.
“I don’t recognize the characterization of Gillian Kaye in that article,” Salguero said.