Thanks — dock it in my usual spot — Pier 11 in Red Hook.

Hello Brooklyn!

Thank you all for joining me here this evening at the Brooklyn Museum, home to one of the world’s most eclectic and inclusive permanent collections.

I want to thank Museum Director Arnold Lehman for hosting my state of the borough address again this year.

Thank you to the BAMSS Youth Theater Ensemble.

To beautiful 9-year-old Alessandra Guercio, who attends St. Mary Mother of Jesus School in Bensonhurst.

To Independence Community Bank for providing the lovely reception.

And thank to you my good friend — Brooklyn’s own Tony Danza.

Nobody speaks better Brooklynese than you, Tony!

We are here tonight to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year, to discuss some exciting plans for 2005 and beyond, and to honor the achievements of individual Brooklynites who have garnered pride and acclaim for our borough.

That was quite a cruise with Tony.

But I’m pleased to say that we have an authentic Brooklyn sailor here with us this evening.

Last Memorial Day, two Brooklynites — Christos Katehis and Andonis Prikas of Sheepshead Bay set sail from the Miramar Yacht Club in a 40-foot sailboat on a 45-day journey to the Greek island of Corfu, to attend the Olympic Games and bring greetings from Brooklyn — home to New York’s second largest Greek community.

Now, I don’t know what they call riding halfway around the world in a sailboat in Greek — but in Brooklynese, we call it mishuga!

Let me tell you, the only way I would get on a boat from Brooklyn to Greece would be on a cruse ship with a fully loaded buffet.

But hey, whatever floats your boat.

Yasou!

Let’s give Christos a hand — from Brooklyn with love.

Another Brooklynite will soon depart our shores.

Eugene Shenderov is one of two Brooklynites to be awarded a 2005 Rhodes Scholarship.

This fall Eugene, a graduate of Edward R. Murrow High School and Brooklyn College — both in Midwood — will begin his studies at Oxford University in England.

After being exposed to radiation as a child from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Eugene was able to receive life-saving medical treatment when his family immigrated from the Ukraine to the United States.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Eugene plans to use his studies to advance the medical science that restored his own health.

Eugene, you make us all incredibly proud — please stand.

Ian Desai — Brooklyn’s second Rhodes Scholar this year — was unable to be here tonight.

Ian grew up in Brooklyn Heights and is a recent graduate of the University of Chicago.

Also planning to attend Oxford, he will earn a graduate degree in Oriental Studies and European Literature.

Behind every child who excels are parents who have sacrificed and given everything they’ve got to raising and educating their kids.

So, while Ian couldn’t be here tonight, I am thrilled to have his parents — Katherine and Rohit Desai of Brooklyn Heights — here this evening.

Let’s give them a hand.

Eugene and Ian are just two of the many special Brooklynites who make us all proud.

Among the most prominent are a growing list of literary luminaries who live and work in Brooklyn, and who are writing the next chapter in our illustrious history.

Brooklyn has always been home to more than its share of authors and poets — but never more so than today.

In order to celebrate our literary legacy and help flaunt our literary future —

My office recently formed the Brooklyn Literary Council.

The council’s chair — Johnny Temple of Akashic Books, which published the award-winning collection “Brooklyn Noir” — is here this evening.

Let’s give him a hand.

As New York City’s cultural capital, Brooklyn’s artists, writers, architects, and actors produce works that truly reflect the fact that we are the most diverse city in America — it’s true.

Our creative variety inspired Clinton Hill artist, activist and author Danny Simmons to put together the “Brooklyn Diversity Art Show,” which will introduce artists from different Brooklyn neighborhoods to one another —

While shining the spotlight on our burgeoning gallery scenes in Williamsburg, Red Hook, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Greenpoint, DUMBO and beyond.

Let’s give Mr. Simmons a hand.

The performing arts also have a bright future in Brooklyn.

For proof, look no further than a fabulous Brooklyn dancer with us tonight —

Please welcome Sarai Fernandez, a student at P.S. 7 and a resident of East New York.

Because Brooklyn is truly home to everyone from everywhere, Brooklynites feel a special responsibility to assist other nations when disaster strikes.

For example, Brooklyn is home to more Haitians than anywhere except Haiti itself.

So I am pleased to share with you that last year we succeeded in re-naming Nostrand Avenue from Eastern Parkway to the Junction “Toussaint L’Ouverture Boulevard” in honor of the leader of Haiti’s slave revolt for independence, which led to the first black republic in the western hemisphere.

Most of you know our Deputy Borough President, Yvonne Graham.

Yvonne is a Jamaican immigrant, a great Brooklynite, and a proud resident of the Fort Greene-Clinton Hill community. Yvonne is a real Caribbean.

Me — I’m just an adopted Trini from Tuna Puna.

Twice last year, Yvonne traveled to Haiti to deliver funds to replace livestock and agricultural products that were lost as a result of last year’s flooding.

The money was raised by generous Brooklynites — led by the Christian Cultural Center in East New York and its wonderful pastor, Reverend A.R. Bernard.

And we are now exploring ways for Brooklyn to partner with Haiti to help achieve the long term goals of rebuilding its infrastructure and economy.

I want to thank Yvonne for her hard work on Haitian relief, as well as her leadership of borough hall’s relief efforts for disaster victims in other
Caribbean nations and the tsunami.

Yvonne, please stand.

Brooklyn — as we all know — is unique.

And Brooklynites’ health needs are unique too.

So it was with great pride that in 2004 — the Brooklyn Health Disparities Institute was founded — in a partnership with the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

The United Hospital Fund provided a planning grant of $50,000, and the Institute was recently awarded a $1.1 million federal grant to combat cardiovascular disease among Brooklyn immigrants and other high-risk groups.

This is the first step toward building a full-fledged health disparities center in Brooklyn.

For far too long — Brooklyn’s communities of color have suffered disproportionately high rates of infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, and other chronic health conditions.

We can — and we must — do better.

This center will help us correct that historic ailment, and put us on course toward a healthier future.

Another area in which we must do better is reducing the sky-high rates that Brooklynites pay for auto insurance.

Last year my office conducted an investigation and found that Brooklyn has — surprise! — some of the highest rates in the nation.

As much as I want Brooklyn to be America’s top tourist destination.

Sadly, the out of state license plates you see in Brooklyn neighborhoods — Florida, Iowa, Michigan, California, and especially Vermont — are not the kind of tourists we’re looking for.

I guarantee you — the owners of those cars sleep in Brooklyn every night of the week — and not at the Brooklyn Marriott.

So I will not rest until the auto insurance industry shows Brooklynites the respect we deserve — bring down our rates!

There is one very sad note we must acknowledge as we begin a new year.

Lives continue to be lost and families separated because we remain a nation at war.

I would like to ask that we all take a moment to mourn the loss of the men and women in uniform who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the last year.

We can only hope that the families and loved ones of the Brooklyn soldiers whose lives were lost will be comforted by the prayers and thoughts of millions of New Yorkers.

I know I join many who pray that 2005 will bring us a world at peace.

So let us observe a moment of silence to remember the soldiers — as well as the Brooklyn detectives and fire fighter we recently lost.

Tonight, we are proud to be joined by a group of Brooklynites who returned home from Iraq exactly one week ago today.

In fact, today marks their first time back in Brooklyn since February 6, 2004!

How sweet it is.

To the members of the 369th Corps Support Battalion of the Army’s New York National Guard.

Specialist Belk — from Crown Heights

Specialist Camille — Flatbush

Command Sergeant Major Cruzado — Fort Hamilton

Lieutenant Colonel Donaldson — Canarsie

Master Sergeant Goodridge — East New York

Specialist Jolicour— Flatbush

Captain Mcbride — Bay Ridge

Sergeant First Class Roach — Crown Heights

Captain Steffens — Windsor Terrace

And Sergeant Vassell — From Crown Heights.

Your courage and dedication are truly an inspiration to us all.

On behalf of all Brooklynites, I say thank you and welcome home!

I also want to acknowledge Colonel Curtis Wrenn, the Commander of New York City’s only military base, at Fort Hamilton.

Now I’d like to introduce a Brooklynite who is also known as the guardian angel of Maimonides Hospital — Doug Jablon.

Mr. Jablon’s dedication to ensuring that patients get the physical care and social services they need, in a comforting and culturally sensitive manner, has earned him a reputation as a Jewish angel of mercy.

Doug — thank you for all that you do.

Brooklyn is a place of so many stories — stories of courage — and of overcoming the odds. One place we see stories like this all the time is in our schools. Brooklyn is home to many great schools. Schools where, no matter what the challenges, education and the well-being of our children prevails.

Why? Because individuals — those who are true educators — take it upon themselves to make it happen.

Educators like Frank Mickens, who just retired after 18 years as principal of Boys and Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Here’s an educator who inherited a school where the students knew nothing but failure —

And through pure determination and dedication — turned it into a school that today sends 85 percent of its graduates on to college.

I call that a Brooklyn miracle.

Saul Bruckner, who just retired as the principal of Edward R. Murrow High School after 30 years, chose to enjoy a well-earned vacation in Puerto Rico, instead of being with us tonight — go figure!

But he is yet another tirelessly dedicated Brooklyn educator — the founding principal of a terrific Brooklyn school.

Thank you, Saul Bruckner, and thank you Frank Mickens.

This year, we are especially proud of Edward R. Murrow’s Chess Team, which won the National High School Chess Championship in 2004 — earning them a visit to the White House.

Eliot Weiss — who has coached the team for 20 years — is here with his champion players.

Let’s ask them all to take a bow.

At Junior High School 258, also in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Adele Trapp serves up chocolate while challenging the students to respect themselves and to show respect for others. At 90 years of age, “Mama Trapp,” as she is known, is our school system’s most senior employee. But as one eighth-grader recently said, “Ms. Trapp is special because she cares — not because she’s 90.”

Well, I believe that both are cause for celebration.

A great Brooklynite — a resident of Crown Heights, by way of Barbados — Ms. Trapp is here this evening with her daughter, Evelyn Rainford.

Let’s put our hands together for “Mama” Trapp.

Now, Mr. Mickens, Mr. Bruckner, Mr. Weiss, and Mrs. Trapp, have all been around our schools for a while — long enough to see quite a few chancellors come and go — long enough to see dozens of quick fixes for our schools proposed, implemented, and debunked.

To me, these great Brooklyn educators are living proof of one thing: When you’ve got great principals — who support great teachers, great school aides, and great parent activists — that’s what gives the biggest boost to the bottom line — our students’ education.

What I want to see in New York City — and what is sorely lacking — is a Department of Education that encourages and supports devoted teachers and school administrators, rather than disregarding them — as is the case far too often.

And the City must start respecting the voices of parents — who have the most at stake when it comes to decisions about what goes on in the classroom.

Don’t forget, unlike most city services, the consumers of education, our children, cannot advocate for themselves — it is their parents who must advocate for them. Despite the current trend of excluding parental input, I urge every parent to get involved. Never underestimate the power of a determined parent or — better yet — a group of determined parents. And we must never underestimate the potential of Brooklyn’s students.

Because when we help them gain the skills, self-esteem and self-respect they deserve — there is no doubt they will achieve the zenith of their god-given potential.

Last summer, a group of children in Brownsville did just that, when a special new park and playground opened in their community. Carter Woodson Children’s Park was designed by 5 th grade students from P.S. 150 — located across the street. These children worked with professional architects and interviewed neighbors to create a facility that worked best for them, and for a community in desperate need of new recreation space.

What had been a trash-filled vacant lot for years was transformed into a running track, game tables, playground equipment and a performance venue. The young architects of P.S. 150 tore down a parking lot and put up a paradise!

The driving force behind this remarkable achievement is a man with tenacity and pure Brooklyn grit — Stanley Kinard — the Director of the Carter G. Woodson Cultural Literacy Project. Mr. Kinard believes that the children who helped create this park will grow up knowing they can change the world because they have already changed their own environment.

I call that growing up empowered.

I am delighted to have Mr. Kinard here this evening to thank him in person.

Let’s give him a hand.

Next I would like to introduce a very special young man.

Christopher Spinelli is a student at P.S. 207 in Marine Park. Chris is just 8 years old — but he has already established himself as both a lover of Brooklyn and an accomplished poet. Christopher is here this evening to read a poem that could only have been written by a child growing up in Brooklyn.

Everyone knows that Brooklyn is undergoing a renaissance — you don’t need me to tell you that. But there are some great Brooklyn stories from the past year that you might have missed — and I also want to fill you in on some exciting plans for 2005 and beyond.

Let’s start this tour in Coney Island. When I was a boy, Coney Island was the playground of New York City — and it was the neighborhood that symbolized Brooklyn to the world. It wasn’t unusual to find 2 million visitors there on a summer’s day. But times change and tastes change.

This year, the Coney Island Development Corporation will roll out a comprehensive plan for new parkland, new entertainment venues, and possibly new housing. I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for recognizing the unique character and limitless potential of this legendary Brooklyn neighborhood. Already, developers from all over the world are competing for a role in the redevelopment of this most famous slice of Americana.

By promoting it as a year-round recreation, amusement, and commercial center — and as a major tourist attraction, we will preserve and celebrate Coney Island’s magical personality — with a twenty-first century incarnation of its spirit that will make it even more fabulous than it was in its heyday.

Coney Island’s resurgence is due in no small part to the efforts of Brooklyn City Council member Dominic Recchia — who recently became chair of the council’s Cultural Affairs Committee. Thank you, Dominic.

Now, when I was running for Borough President, I promised you that I would find a way to reclaim Coney Island’s most famous landmark — the Parachute Jump. Because what does the Parachute Jump mean to anyone younger than 50? As a child, I never went on the Parachute Jump. To be honest, I never went on the Cyclone either — monster rides scare the daylights out of me. I did, however, ride the Wonder Wheel — a ride, by the way, which celebrates its 85th birthday this year. Even then, I would only ride in the stationary cars.

And the closest I ever got to the Parachute Jump was waving at the people brave enough to float on down. Even so, the Parachute Jump was an emblem of Brooklyn to me, and to every Brooklynite. So I am proud to announce that this June, I will permanently light Brooklyn’s Eiffel Tower at Coney Island. It will be a dazzling display and a source of pride visible from our suburbs of Manhattan, Staten Island, New Jersey, and beyond.

It will beckon visitors from everywhere, who will say, “Hey, why should I get in a car and go to some suburban theme park — when I can go to Coney Island for the day?” Coney Island will once again be a must-see for tourists. Just think — they will be able to ride the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, get great franks and fries at Nathan’s — not that I personally know anything about those fries, mind you — visit the Aquarium, and then catch a game of our champion Cyclones.

Every American amusement park has tried to copy, replace, or exceed Coney Island — but of course none ever will. Soon, we’ll have the Parachute Jump back to light the way toward Coney Island’s bright future.

Yet another exciting thing to look forward to this year is Steiner Studios’ first movie production — a musical film version of the introverted Mel Brooks Broadway hit, “The Producers.” Nowhere in America boasts more character — or characters — than Brooklyn. And I wouldn’t want to change that one bit!

But with our cast of characters — it’s only fitting that Brooklyn should be the largest center of film production outside of La-La Land. From now on, films that would have been shot in Hollywood or Toronto will be made right here in Brooklyn — bringing the world’s great actors home to roost and offering Brooklyn residents film-related training and employment opportunities.

With the opening of Steiner Studios; with the national premiere of a major motion picture, “Finding Neverland,” right here at the Brooklyn Museum, which just received 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture; with the success of “Open Water,” the independent ocean thriller written and produced by Brooklyn Heights couple Chris Kentis and Laura Lau; and with the premiere of “The Village,” which recently haunted Prospect Park — those in the know have started referring to Brooklyn as “Hollywood East.”

And it’s not just the movies. “Brooklyn” is popping up on the Great White Way too — there is even a Broadway musical named after us. A story full of soul — just like Brooklyn — “Brooklyn, The Musical” was the only new musical to open on Broadway this season. And next month, a new play titled “Brooklyn Boy” will premiere at Broadway’s Manhattan Theater Club.

The arts are just one actor in the ensemble cast of Brooklyn’s vibrant, expanding economy. The vitality of Brooklyn’s retail streets is a sure barometer of our economic growth. And right now, our retail streets are booming.

From Graham Avenue in east Williamsburg to Livonia Avenue in East New York — from Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint to Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg — from Avenue U in Sheepshead Bay to Rockaway Parkway in Canarsie — from Fulton Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant to Third Avenue in Bay Ridge — are you tired yet?

From Utica Avenue in East Flatbush to Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush — from 13 th Avenue in Borough Park to Avenue J in Midwood — from Smith Street in Carroll Gardens to Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill — from Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville to 18 th Avenue in Bensonhurst — and from Brighton Beach Avenue in — where else? — Brighton Beach to 5 th Avenue in Park Slope and Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights — economic opportunity is expanding all over our borough — block by block.

Three Brooklyn neighborhoods — Bushwick, Fort Greene, and Park Slope — recently received “Main Street Grants” from the state to restore facades on storefronts and houses. And last month we announced plans for the renovation of Restoration Plaza in Bedford-Stuyvesant. As part of those plans, I was thrilled to allocate funds to refurbish the Billie Holiday Theater — the pride of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Brooklyn is blessed to have such incredibly energetic and dynamic local development corporations, merchant associations, business improvement districts, boards of trade, and chambers of commerce working to improve our economic climate — alongside great leaders like Ken Adams, Roy Hastick and Joan Bartolomeo.

Another very dedicated leader who is here with us this evening is Asghar Choudhri.

Mr. Choudhri is president of the Pakistani American Federation of New York — which hosts Brooklyn’s annual Pakistani Independence Festival — the largest anywhere in America.

Brooklyn is proud to be home to 125,000 Pakistani-Americans, as well as many other South Asians.

Mr. Choudri is also chair of the Coney Island Pakistani American Merchant Association.

Please join me in giving him a hand.

Thanks in large part to our hard working merchant associations, which promote the growth and revitalization of Brooklyn’s retail venues, there’s really never any reason to leave Brooklyn to shop.

The big retail players have discovered Brooklyn.

And while these retail businesses employ managers — they also provide many entry level jobs — which are vitally important to Brooklyn’s young people.

Even an entry level job offers the opportunity for training, advancement, and promotion.

A great example of this is Clarence Otis — who last year became the sixth African-American to lead a fortune 500 company — Darden Restaurants, which owns Red Lobster and The Olive Garden, among others.

I wish he was a Brooklynite!

Clarence Otis got his first job at the age of 17, as a restaurant server making $1.50 an hour, plus tips. Today, he’s at the very top of the restaurant business.

Now, I ask you, who in this room started out at the top of their profession? The vast majority of us started out in entry-level jobs where we learned basic skills and work habits.

It took me 56 years to become Borough President — and I went through 23 long Albany winters to get here!

It’s all about opportunity. And opportunity is why I created the Brooklyn Summer HEAT program. It stands for “Help Employ Ambitious Teens.” Each summer, dozens of Brooklyn businesses participate by offering jobs to high school kids that familiarize them with a particular industry. When you expose a young person to something new — you may inspire a whole new passion or professional interest. And the more people who are working in Brooklyn, the better it is for all in Brooklyn.

Job creation is the key reason I made it one of my top priorities to bring the cruise industry to Brooklyn. Plus — it’s not a bad vacation!

You know, when you’re a younger person, you might like to climb mountains. But when you get to a certain age — it’s all about buffet climbing. Take it from me — it’s 24/7 dining all the way!

While it was not initially the Mayor’s top priority, I’m delighted that the city administration is focused on bringing the cruise industry to Brooklyn. And with groundbreaking for the new terminal in Red Hook scheduled for March — I look forward to welcoming the world’s major cruise lines to Brooklyn beginning this fall.

Those cruise lines will bring tens of thousands of new tourists into Brooklyn — so it’s a good thing that last week we broke ground for the expansion of the Brooklyn Marriott — we’re gonna need it!

Right now, the Marriott is Brooklyn’s only full-service hotel and conference center — but you can bet it won’t be the last.

The Marriott’s expansion proves — once again — that Brooklyn’s downtown is a vital part of New York City’s lifeblood — a central business district second to none.

And in 2004 we kept a long standing promise and opened a new Brooklyn Tourism Center — downstairs at Borough Hall —

All this means that more visitors will come here to see the world — and stay in Brooklyn. Our historic, vibrant neighborhoods, our beautiful houses of worship, our world-class cultural attractions, world-class museums, and our world-class restaurants will make Brooklyn the destination of choice for national and international tourists. And they’ll have a chance to experience first-hand Brooklynites’ long-standing reputation for being reserved, subtle, and polite. And if they want to take a day trip to Manhattan — ok!

Tourism will put dollars in Brooklynites’ pockets, as will the jobs created by projects like Gateway Plaza shopping center in Spring Creek. We old timers used to call it East New York — and we always will. I am thrilled with the success of this shopping destination, which is not yet three years old.

And in June we celebrated the return of Rheingold Beer to Brooklyn. Almost 30 years after the last Rheingold beer was brewed here, Rheingold has joined the throngs who abandoned Brooklyn decades ago, only to have their children and grandchildren beat a fast track back home. To honor their momentous return, Brooklyn’s own Miss Rheingold — Dani Marco — from Kensington — is here tonight. Let’s give her a hand .

While we are on the important subject of beer, I want to remind you that until the demise of our local beer industry in the early ‘70s, Brooklyn was a major brewery town for more than a hundred years. But all that changed a few years ago, when Steve Hindy — President and Co-Founder of Brooklyn Beer — put Brooklyn back on the brewery map. I have to tell you, nothing is more satisfying to me than watching a Manhattanite down a pint of Brooklyn Beer. Steve is here tonight. Let’s thank him.

When I say Brooklyn is full of characters, I mean it. And here’s one for the books. A few years back, Prospect Heights resident Rick Field left his job in television to pursue his true calling — as a gourmet pickle maker. In just 3 years, he turned his long-time hobby of experimenting with new pickle recipes into a small business that now sells to specialty food stores nationwide. Mr. Field’s creations have earned him 10 blue ribbons at the prestigious Rosendale Pickle Festival in the Catskills. Let’s give Rick, the gourmet pickler, a hand.

Another great food business that is wildly popular in Brooklyn — and throughout New York — is Connecticut Muffin, which has locations in Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Clinton Hill and — fortunately for my hungry staff — just a few blocks from my office at Borough Hall.

I ask you — where else but here could two Muslim guys open a bakery named for another state and become an institution in Brownstone Brooklyn!

Please put your hands together for the muffin men — Yasser and Mohamed Abdelhadi!

I’ve talked about brooklyn’s character and its characters. But we all know what else Brooklyn is about—and that’s food. If you somehow live here and missed that obvious fact — I’m sure I’ve convinced you of it by now.

Last year we hosted our first Dine In Brooklyn, giving many Brooklynites, and out-of-towners from Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx a real treat —and their first taste of some of our excellent restaurants.

With the highest quality, most exciting, creative cuisine anywhere — influenced by flavors from every culture and every nation — we are truly witnessing the birth of a Brooklyn cuisine.

So don’t miss the 2 nd annual Dine In Brooklyn — April 15th through the 21st — you’re all invited!

Brooklyn has established its own restaurant rows, with new dining establishments opening so often — it’s hard to keep up!

One of the characters who started this trend is the pioneer of Smith Street. The co-owner of Patois, the Gowanus Yacht Club, and Schnack, our very own Mr. Cookin’ in Brooklyn of the Discovery Home Network, Alan Harding.

Is Alan here tonight? Let’s give him a hand.

I am delighted that Ikea, Fairway, Whole Foods and other businesses are coming to Brooklyn — businesses that are committed to being good neighbors and that have something of value to offer our community — not only great products, but especially new jobs.

This spring — the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, working with my office and with input from many Brooklyn businesses, will launch the Initiative for a Competitive Brooklyn.

This will be a major drive to increase business in four important industries: Hospitality and tourism, health care, construction and real estate, and food processing — which will focus on Brooklyn’s wonderful ethnic and international foods.

Upcoming changes in transportation — and other investments in downtown Brooklyn — will help create new business opportunities here.

While I’m on the subject of Downtown, I must say, Mr. Mayor, it is time to allow us to unite Atlantic Avenue — the gateway to Brooklyn’s downtown — by permanently shutting down the Brooklyn House of Detention.

My office is working with other elected officials and members of the community to develop a creative and useful new vision for that site.

Meanwhile, new residents, businesses, and cultural institutions — not to mention the upcoming arrival of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets — are increasingly making Brooklyn a true land of opportunity.

Now, I fought hard to get a national sports team to call Brooklyn home.

I know of three things that bring people together like nothing else — music, religion, and sports.

As a boy, I’m happy to say that I was able to watch the Brooklyn Dodgers play every summer, just a few blocks from where I lived.

This year, by the way, we mark the 50 th anniversary of the Dodgers’ legendary 1955 World Series championship.

I want to tell you what I remember about that time.

After that World Series victory — life as we knew it stopped in the borough of Brooklyn, because for two weeks, there was a non-stop party in the streets.

That was then, and this is now.

The Atlantic Yards Project will include the Nets arena, as well as residential and commercial buildings. Every city in America competes for a national sports team. If you’re lucky, you get a chance like this once in a lifetime.

Brooklyn — now is our time.

I expect Atlantic Yards to result in two things that are vital to Brooklynites — more jobs and more affordable housing. I want to say right now, that I fully understand — and I share the concerns — of local area residents who have spoken out in opposition to this development.

People of good will can differ. And constructive opposition is something I value and cherish — because I honestly believe that, in the end, it makes for a better plan.

The Nets arena — and the Atlantic Yards project — will go forward, but it must work for both Brooklyn and for the community surrounding the arena.

Because people do not move out of Brooklyn today seeking a better life. They move out because they can’t afford the good life we have here.

It is estimated that Atlantic Yards will create about 10,000 permanent new jobs. That is above and beyond the 15,000 construction-related jobs that it will create over the next decade. And we can all be proud that 100 percent of those workers will be union employees.

Under a proposed groundbreaking Community Benefits Agreement, as many as possible of those new jobs will be filled by Brooklyn residents, and I promise you, those jobs will go to those who need them most — particularly low income residents living in public housing nearby.

I believe this project will help give individuals and Brooklyn families the chance they need — and deserve — to break the cycle of poverty, with opportunities to work at jobs that will grow into careers.

I want every Brooklynite to be given the same chance I had.

As someone who grew up in poverty — and who grew up in public housing — I know what an opportunity can mean. And with this project designed by a world class architect, Brooklyn-born Frank Gehry, Atlantic Yards will be an unmistakable statement that the new center of this universe we call New York City has shifted to the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic!

Downtown isn’t the only place where we need more affordable housing.

Brooklyn is proud to be home to residents of every income level. If we lose that economic diversity, we will lose the very character that makes Brooklyn great. While there is no question that Brooklyn is undergoing a real estate boom — everywhere you look there’s construction. The benefits of that boom are not shared by all Brooklyn residents.

The fact is that most Brooklyn residents — more than 70 percent — rent their homes.

I know exactly what that means. I’ve been a rental tenant every day of my life. And almost 50 percent of my take home pay goes for rent — despite the fact that I make a decent living.

The reality is that fewer than 10 percent of those living in Brooklyn can afford to rent or buy the housing that is being built today in any Brooklyn neighborhood. Housing that is built in Brooklyn must, first and foremost, be good for Brooklyn — and that means all of Brooklyn.

So, whenever I have a role in the process, affordable housing will continue to be my number one priority. For any new construction where public review is required, I will continue to demand the inclusion of guaranteed affordable housing.

That means when a sale of City property is involved — or when zoning changes or special permits are required for development.

In fact, this just came up in my review of the proposed Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning. Two weeks ago I recommended that the City Planning Commission and the City Council reject the city’s Greenpoint-Williamsburg Plan, not because I’m against rezoning the area — I’m in favor of it, because it reconnects our communities with our magnificent waterfront — but because this plan is flawed.

I have asked the City to guarantee a minimum of 30 percent affordable housing in a revised plan. And I urge the City Council to adhere to my recommendations — do not accept anything less.

There was a time when our federal and state governments understood that housing is a right — and not a privilege. In the not too distant past, government took seriously its role in subsidizing this basic need, as it did with the Mitchell-Lama program. But with Republican administrations in Washington and Albany — the burden is now on us, on the local level, to fight for affordable housing in our neighborhoods.

Because whether you were born on the other side of the world or right here in Brooklyn — we’re all Brooklynites. And an essential part of anyone’s dream is to live in a home they can afford — and still have money left over to live a decent life.

Speaking of fighting for our character, our neighborhoods, and our way of life, we are also seeing how rapid, largely unplanned development throughout the borough is changing the character and scale of some of our communities.

Too often, we see the demolition of single family homes that fit in with the character of a community — only to be replaced by buildings of questionable appropriateness. This infringes on residents’ quality of life and — ironically — threatens to erode property values, rather than enhance them.

One of my goals for 2005 is to convene a community forum on this issue of neighborhood preservation in the face of unbounded, unplanned development. Make no mistake — I’m for development — smart development. But smart development is not destroying the lovely character of Brooklyn’s most suburban neighborhoods.

Southern Brooklyn has many neighborhoods that are primarily residential and dominated by single family detached homes.

I am committed to the down-zoning of these neighborhoods, because we must preserve the community pride that makes Brooklyn great.

Speaking of community pride, I want to thank the hundreds of block associations, and civic and community groups that celebrate our neighborhoods and that are on the front lines of addressing quality of life issues on our streets.

And when it comes to our quality of life, every Brooklynite owes a debt of gratitude to our outstanding police force and firefighters.

I want to thank Chief of Brooklyn North Joseph Cunneen, Chief of Brooklyn South Joseph Fox, and Brooklyn’s Fire Department Borough Commander Edward Kilduff, for their leadership and unflagging dedication to the job. Please join me in thanking them, and the outstanding men and women in their command.

I also want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who are the chairs and members of Brooklyn’s 18 Community Boards, as well as our 18 District Managers.

You are the local government and we could not be effective without you.

Brooklyn owes you a debt of gratitude.

I can’t talk about Brooklyn’s quality of life, or about preserving neighborhood pride without thinking of Otis Pratt Pearsall.

As someone who practically wrote the City’s Landmarks Preservation Code, Otis has done more than anyone I know to preserve historic Brooklyn buildings and neighborhoods for the generations to come. Mr. Pearsall has used his insight — and his considerable persuasive skills — to create public appreciation for irreplaceable city architecture that would have otherwise been destroyed.

Mr. Pearsall, a resident of Brooklyn Heights — is here with us this evening. Please join me in thanking him for his outstanding efforts.

While we are on the subject of historic Brooklyn, I am proud to note that the oldest mosque in New York State is — you guessed it — right here in Brooklyn. That is the Dawood Mosque of the Islamic Mission of America, located in Brooklyn Heights.

We are honored to have Imam Abdalla Allam of the historic Dawood Mosque with us tonight. Please give him a hand.

Every day, we in Brooklyn proudly demonstrate what we hope the entire world will one day recognize — That we are all children of the same god, because only in Brooklyn do Jews and Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists, and even those who don’t know what they are, live side by side in harmony 99.9% percent of the time.

Of course, we are not perfect. There are times when we don’t get along, and there are always a few disgruntled or biased people in any community.

But we are also pro-active here in Brooklyn. So, for those rare times when we have a problem, we have formed the Anti-Bias Task Force, which keeps the dialogue flowing between our communities, so we can prevent problems before they occur.

I believe Brooklyn is as close as you can get to the promised land — and still be around to talk about it.

Brooklyn has always been the place where legends are made and dreams come true.

Today, Latin American Brooklynites are making their dreams a reality and Brooklyn — and they’re also playing some serious soccer on the fields of Red Hook Park.

On Saturday afternoons, Red Hook can seem as much like Latin America as Brooklyn. Just as stick ball, stoop ball, and punch ball defined my generation, soccer defines theirs.

At Red Hook Park, Spanish is the language of choice, and rows of vendors sell some of the tastiest tamales anywhere in the world.

Mexicans and Central Americans are among the fastest growing communities in Brooklyn —bringing their food, customs, and soccer skills into Brooklyn’s dynamic mix.

Just one more reason why I insist that Brooklyn today — is America tomorrow.

One of my guests this evening is the president of the Guatemala Soccer League — Hugo Calderon. Let’s give Mr. Calderon a hand.

Two more Brooklynites who had a great dream and made it a Brooklyn reality are Susan Boyle and her husband, Benton Brown. Thirty-five years ago — back when I was a younger man — there was tremendous interest in alternative energy. Then gas and oil prices stabilized, government failed to promote new energy technologies, and a great idea died on the vine — or so we thought.

Today, most of us understand that a viable future must include reducing our consumption of finite natural resources. True Brooklyn trendsetters, Susan and Benton transformed a derelict Crown Heights factory into an award-winning apartment building that is on the cutting edge of environmentally friendly sustainable design.

Let’s give this pioneering couple a hand.

Although environmentally conscious Brooklynites are making America green with envy, we are faced with some challenges. One serious environmental threat is an 1,100 megawatt power plant proposed by TransGas for the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront. A power plant makes no sense when we are talking about reclaiming the most magnificent waterfront in the region. It makes no sense on a site where there should instead be parkland and housing. And it makes no sense in a neighborhood where asthma rates are already sky high.

I have joined with community residents to fight the TransGas proposal, and I am committed to blocking it through the administrative review process if necessary.

Another thing you should know about is that the biggest oil disaster in American history was not the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. Sadly, that dubious distinction falls to Brooklyn — a 50-year-old leak in Greenpoint that, even now, continues seeping into Newtown Creek.

This industrial environmental disaster — ignored by ExxonMobil for decades — endangers and degrades the entire community.

Brooklyn has the gift of being a peninsula surrounded by water on 3 sides. We must protect our waterways, including Newtown Creek and the future “Venice in Brooklyn,” Gowanus Canal.

That’s why I am working with the organization Riverkeepers, which has filed a lawsuit to force these corporate polluters to stop the leak and clean up the waterway, so it can be restored as a natural treasure.

While it might not threaten life and limb, graffiti is also a blight on Brooklyn’s environment, and a bane on Brooklyn’s spirit.

If you want to be a sctunk in your own house, that’s your privilege. But if you do it outside of your house, that’s where creativity ends and vandalism begins.

In 2003, I obtained two state-of-the-art graffiti clean up trucks — which I bought with your money, thank you. The graffiti trucks go all over Brooklyn removing this visual trash. I am delighted to report that in 2004, we removed 168,000 square feet of graffiti from Brooklyn.

Graffiti is, first and foremost, an act of disrespect. And respect — the teaching of respect — is an issue we must address in Brooklyn, and we must do it together.

We all know that it’s parents who teach kids right from wrong — who teach them to respect themselves and others. And that is so important, because when you respect yourself, you respect life.

You don’t become a bully and you don’t join a gang.

You don’t abuse your body with drugs.

You don’t abuse your family members.

And you don’t tolerate violence of any kind.

So I want to stop and thank all of the parents here this evening for teaching your kids not to graffiti, not to litter, for teaching them the essential old-fashioned values that are — and always will be — the bedrock of any civilized society.

I’m talking about one thing here — and you all know what that is — the power of self respect, respect of others, and most of all, the power of love.

Maybe it’s because I was born on St. Valentine’s Day, but whatever the reason, I have a deep and abiding respect for love’s power. Consider the love of a man who gave his wife the ultimate gift — the gift of life.

Just a few months ago, two days after their 14 th wedding anniversary, Old Mill Basin resident Devon Haynes gave his wife, Jennifer, one of his two healthy kidneys.

Can you imagine a greater example of selfless love, devotion, and courage?

And isn’t that what makes a great and lasting relationship?

Because — let’s face it — good looks fade, youth is fleeting, and life is full of ups and downs. But love, loyalty, respect, commitment and compassion last, and these are the qualities great marriages are made of.

I am deeply moved to have Mr. and Mrs. Haynes here tonight. Please help me show Devon and Jennifer — Brooklyn loves you.

On February 11th, I will host my second annual Champagne Reception for Brooklyn couples married 50 years or more — at the Brooklyn Marriott.

Of course, when my wife Jamie and I celebrate our 50th anniversary, I’ll be 105 — and Jamie will be 21.

That might seem a bit discouraging.

But Jamie, I recently met a gentleman who has inspired me to go for it: Mr. William Jefferson of East New York — one of Brooklyn’s most senior, senior citizens — just turned 105.

We are lucky to have him here with us this evening, along with his daughters.

L’chaim, Mr. Jefferson! Please join me in wishing William Jefferson a Happy Birthday.

Jamie, if I don’t make 105, will 100 do?

We also have Martel Hamilton of Crown Heights here tonight — who lives in the very same building I grew up in. Mr. Hamilton just turned 100 last month. Let’s welcome Mr. Hamilton.

Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Hamilton — please tell us that your remarkably long life is due to large portions of brisket, lots of cheesecake, and that clean, fresh Brooklyn air!

Before you all grow old yourselves sitting here listening to me, I must briefly mention a few projects that we’ve recently celebrated or have in the works.

As we begin a new year, two of Brooklyn’s most prominent front stoops are now more beautiful than ever. The new Brooklyn Museum Plaza — which you all saw on your way in tonight — was completed last spring, and the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library — the world’s most beautiful public library — will emerge next year with a new auditorium, and an incredible new outdoor reading room and performance space.

I am also thrilled that we have finally hammered out a plan — in collaboration with the non-profit group “Take the Field” — that will turn the Park Slope Armory over to the public in the form of a 200,000 square foot athletic recreation and education center — scheduled to open in August 2006.

The Brooklyn Jewish Children’s Museum — the nation’s first of its kind — opened in December. The guiding light behind the Museum’s creation is Devorah Halberstam, who somehow — after the tragedy of her son’s death — found the will to create a center for the celebration and teaching of ethnic pride and diversity.

Thank you, Devorah.

A new home for the Brooklyn Children’s Museum — also America’s first, back in 1899 — is being designed by world-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, which will double its size, and bring us one step closer to creating Brooklyn’s own Museum Mile. A stunning new entrance and visitors center for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is in the works.

And we look forward to the opening of the “Seaside Café” at the New York Aquarium at Coney Island. A brand new ice skating rink is planned for Prospect Park — restored to its original splendor. And the BAM LDC is hard at work on a number of exciting projects that will be part of a BAM Cultural District — including an innovative new Library for the Visual and Performing Arts — that will ensure Brooklyn remains New York City’s creative capital.

Finally, something I am particularly proud of is the restoration of the historic buildings of Weeksville. Weeksville tells the rich history of African-American Brooklynites of the mid-1800s, who led lives of freedom, independence, and dignity — both before and after the Civil War. Now that we’ve restored the historic buildings, we’re designing a new education center for the Weeksville Society, which will be a cultural cornerstone for all of Brooklyn.

And Joan Maynard — you are a legend in our time.

Scientists may never agree on where the human race began, on where the first human beings made art, told stories, or created an alphabet, but there’s one thing we know for sure. Wherever those things may have taken place first, Brooklyn is the second birthplace of civilization!

While Brooklyn continues to import new residents from Manhattan, many of the great things that started in Brooklyn are now exported. Kleinfeld’s Bridal, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Roller Roaster, Boar’s Head, Century 21, P.C. Richards, Jacque Torres Chocolates — all are now exported from Brooklyn to Manhattan and the world.

Let’s face it — everybody wants what we have. Because in every neighborhood there is something special, something distinctive — something that puts our unique Brooklyn attitude on display.

From the Park Slope Halloween Parade to the Atlantic Antic downtown —

From the Bay Ridge Raggamuffin Parade, to the Dance of the Giglio in Williamsburg —

From Old Timers Day in Brownsville to the Annual Bay Fest in Sheepshead Bay —

From the West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway to the Great Irish Fair in Coney Island —

From the Gay Pride Parade in Park Slope to the shy, modest Mermaid Parade in Coney Island —

From the Boricua Festival in Prospect Park to the Jubilee in Brighton Beach —

From the DUMBO Arts Festival to the Midwood Mardi Gras —

From the Flatbush Frolic to the International African Arts Festival in Bedford-Stuyvesant —

From “Celebrate Brooklyn” in Prospect Park to the Martin Luther King and Seaside concerts in Central Brooklyn and Coney Island ­—

From the Brooklyn Ballet to the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and the Brooklyn Philharmonic —

From being the Borough of Churches to America’s most beautiful college town —

From ocean front to waterfront —

It’s so hip to have a zip

That starts with 112!