THANK YOU SESAME FLYERS — FROM BROOKLYN’S WEST-INDIAN AMERICAN DAY CARNIVAL PARADE! —WHO, IN 2009, WON TOP PRIZE FOR “BEST LARGE BAND” — AND HAVE WON “BEST COSTUMES” FOR THE PAST ELEVEN YEARS!
           
BROOKLYN IS INDEED THE “CARIBBEAN CAPITAL OF AMERICA” — AND OF COURSE, OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO OUR HAITIAN RESIDENTS AND FAMILIES. OF COURSE, WHAT AFFECTS HAITI, AFFECTS BROOKLYN. BROOKLYN AND HAITI SHARE THE MOTTO, “IN UNITY THERE IS STRENGTH” — AND WE ASK THAT EVERYONE CONTINUE TO BE GENEROUS IN THE DAYS AHEAD AS HAITI REBUILDS FOR THE FUTURE.
           
            WITH THE “MAYOR’S FUND” — AND HIS WORK WITH THE GOVERNOR TO OPEN UP A RESOURCE CENTER FOR HAITIAN FAMILIES HERE IN BROOKLYN — MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG HAS SHOWN THAT NEW YORK CITY IS BEHIND HAITI one hundred percent.

AS YOU MAY KNOW, THE MAYOR AND I HAVE A LOT IN COMMON — WE SHARE A BIRTHDAY — IT’S COMING UP, VALENTINES DAY. there may be $17 billion DOLLARS that separate us — but he knows very well that I’M YOUNGER AND STILL BETTER LOOKING!

IN THIS TIME OF ECONOMIC CRISIS — HE REMAINS INNOVATIVE AND EFFECTIVE IN HIS GOALS KEEPING NEW YORK CITY SAFE, CLEAN, HEALTHY, AND WORKING. WE’RE LUCKY TO HAVE HIM AND HIS EXPERTISE FOR A THIRD TERM — MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG!

[MAYOR SPEAKS, ADMINISTERS OATH OF OFFICE]

THANK YOU MAYOR BLOOMBERG.

I WANT TO THANK ALL OF TONIGHT’S PERFORMERS. IN ADDITION TO THE SESAME FLYERS, BRAVO TO I-S 228 SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FROM DAVID A. BOODY SCHOOL FOR MAGNET STUDIES IN GRAVESEND; THE BROOKLYN BALLET; BROOKLYN’S OWN “THREE TENORS,” THE VENUTO BROTHERS; AND THE SIX-TIME GRAMMY WINNING BROOKLYN TABERNACLE CHOIR. THAT’S REAL BROOKLYN TALENT!
           
THE BEST DEPUTY BOROUGH PRESIDENT THERE COULD EVER BE — YVONNE GRAHAM! — AND OUR SPIRITUAL LEADERS — IMAM MOHAMMAD HAFIZ FROM MAKKI MOSQUE, REVEREND DOCTOR A.R. BERNARD FROM THE CHRISTIAN CULTURAL CENTER, AND RABBI JOSEPH POTASNIK OF CONGREGATION MOUNT SINAI.
           
IN THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT I’M SO PLEASED TO HAVE MY SISTERS JILL AND SHERRY AND MY MOM, DOROTHY, WHO WILL BE 88 THIS YEAR. I HOPE I TAKE AFTER YOUR SIDE OF THE FAMILY, MOM. MAYBE WE’LL BOTH BE HERE TO CELEBRATE THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE’S 150TH BIRTHDAY! — IN 2033! AND OF COURSE, THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME — MY LOVELY WIFE, JAMIE. THIS PAST NOVEMBER, WE CELEBRATED OUR TEN-YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. JAMIE, PLEASE STAND!

            SO, HOW ABOUT THIS STUNNING PARK SLOPE ARMORY! I’M SO THRILLED TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THE TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS RENOVATION INTO A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY FOR NEARBY SCHOOLS AND RESIDENTS. BRAVO PARK SLOPE ARMORY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL — DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS SERVICES COMMISSIONER ROBERT HESS  — OUR FORMER BROOKLYN COUNCIL MEMBER FOR THIS DISTRICT AND NOW PUBLIC ADVOCATE BILL DE BLASIO — AS WELL AS YMCA PRESIDENT AND CEO JACK LUND — AND PROSPECT PARK “Y” EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEAN ANDREWS.

            AND FOR MAKING THIS EVENT POSSIBLE TONIGHT, MY DEAR FRIEND AND CAMPAIGN TREASURER FOR MANY YEARS, MIKE WEISS, TREASURER OF “BRAVO BROOKLYN” 2009 —(AND HIS BETTER-HALF, THE DYNAMIC ELLA WEISS, TOO!) — and all those who supported tonight as well.

AND MY CHIEF OF STAFF, CARLO SCISSURA — MILLE GRAZIE! (WE USED TO EAT BAGELS AROUND MY OFFICE, NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT ESPRESSO AND PIGNOLI COOKIES!)

TONIGHT, I’M PROUD TO HAVE WITH US BROOKLYN AND NEW YORK CITY’S FINEST AND BRAVEST. from the nypd, Chief gerald Nelson OF brooklyn north; and chief of brooklyn south, and master photographer, Chief joseph Fox.and of course, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S HIGHEST RANKING UNIFORMED OFFICER, “chief of DEPARTMENT” AND BROOKLYN RESIDENT, joseph esposito!  AS WE KNOW, THE NEW COMMISSIONER OF THE NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT — SALVATORE CASSANO IS A PROUD SON OF CARROLL GARDENS. HE LIVES IN STATEN ISLAND NOW, BUT THAT’S A BROOKLYN SUBURB ANYWAY — RIGHT JIMMY?  WELCOME TO JIM MOLINARO, STATEN ISLAND BOROUGH PRESIDENT AND MY RESTAURANT BUDDY!

            AND TONIGHT, WE CONGRATULATE OUR FORMER FDNY BROOKLYN COMMANDER ED KILDUFF, WHO HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO “CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT.” (CLEARLY, IF YOU WANT A LEADER, YOU GOTTA LOOK TO BROOKLYN!) IT’S WELL-DESERVED, ED! CONGRATULATIONS AND A BIG WELCOME AS WELL TO OUR NEW BROOKLYN FDNY COMMANDER JAMES LEONARD.

            WE TRULY APPRECIATE THE WORK ALL OF YOU DO TO PROTECT OUR INTERNATIONAL CITY.

I WANT TO ALSO WELCOME OUR PUBLIC ADVOCATE, BROOKLYN’S OWN BILL DE BLASIO, COMPTROLLER JOHN LIU, CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN, AND PRESIDENT OF THE “OUTER BOROUGH” OF MANHATTAN, SCOTT STRINGER.

[joke]

I’M HONORED TO HAVE BEEN ELECTED FOR ANOTHER TERM AS BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT. THE MAYOR DIDN’T HAVE ME IN MIND WHEN HE THOUGHT ABOUT EXTENDING TERM LIMITS, BUT I THANK HIM, AS WELL AS SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN AND THE CITY COUNCIL — AND I’M THRILLED TO BE SERVING BROOKLYNITES FOR FOUR MORE YEARS.
           
THIS PAST YEAR WAS AN INTERESTING ONE. I DON’T LEAVE BROOKLYN TOO OFTEN, BUT LAST YEAR  I TRAVELED TO THE NETHERLANDS AS PART OF A DELEGATION  REPRESENTING NEW YORK CITY AT THE “NY400” CELEBRATION — THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DUTCH COMING HERE — AND I HAD THE CHANCE TO VISIT BREUKELEN, HOME OF THE ORIGINAL “BROOKLYN BRIDGE.” I WAS HONORED TO BE SHOWN AROUND BY THE MAYOR OF BREUKELEN, GER MIK. BUT I HAD TO BE TELL HIM THE TRUTH — ALL THESE YEARS, THEY HAVE BEEN SPELLING IT WRONG — AND PRONOUNCING IT WRONG! NETHERLANDS CONSUL GENERAL HUGO GAJUS SCHELTEMA IS HERE WITH US TONIGHT — WELCOME CONSUL GENERAL.

[joke]

BROOKLYN COUNTS: CENSUS 2010

IN BROOKLYN OUR DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH. WE’VE GOT NEARLY 2.6 MILLION RESIDENTS, OVER 100 ETHNIC GROUPS, WE SPEAK136 LANGUAGES, AND THIS CENSUS YEAR, every brooklynite MUST BE COUNTED! everything from our GOVERNMENT funding to congressional representation depends on it. (AND i’ll be honest with you — i don’t want queens taking our title of the CITY’S most-populous borough!)

MY OFFICE’S “COMPLETE COUNT COMMITTEE” IS REACHING OUT TO COMMUNITIES BOROUGH-WIDE — MO RAZVI OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATIONS; ESMERALDA SIMMONS FROM MEDGAR EVERS CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE; CURTIS NELSON FROM SESAME FLYERS INTERNATIONAL; DR. GABRIEL RINCON FROM MIXTECA; AND WEI YING SHI FROM THE CHINESE- AMERICAN PLANNING COUNCIL.

       WOULD ALL OF YOU PLEASE STAND?
      
THESE GROUPS, AND OTHERS, LIKE THE CARIBBEAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (THANK YOU, FOUNDER, PRESIDENT AND CEO DR. ROY HASTICK) — ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT BROOKLYN COUNTS!

BROOKLYN COUNTS: PROJECTS AND PROGRESS

       OF COURSE, THE WORLD ALREADY KNOWS BROOKLYN COUNTS — WE’RE ON THE TOP OF EVERYONE’S LISTS, FROM FOOD TO FILM, FROM HEALTH TO HOSPITALITY, FROM ARTS TO INDUSTRY, FROM SUSTAINABILITY AND STAR POWER TO IMMIGRATION AND INNOVATION. THIS RECESSION IS STILL HURTING US HERE IN NEW YORK CITY — YET IN BROOKLYN WE CONTINUE TO SEE SIGNS OF PROGRESS: NEW GREEN INDUSTRY IN THE NAVY YARD — (THANKS PRESIDENT ANDREW KIMBALL); BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK, WHICH I’VE SUPPORTED WITH CAPITAL FUNDS. PIERS 1 AND 6 WILL OPEN IN SPRING — KUDOS, MASTER PLANNER REGINA MYER.

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GLORIOUS MCCARREN PARK POOL — BRAVO, PARKS COMMISSIONER ADRIAN BENEPE AND ESPECIALLY, OUR BROOKLYN PARKS COMMISSIONER JULIE SPEIGEL— (JULIE, YOUR DREAM IS COMING TRUE.)

AND SOMETHING I CALLED FOR IN MY STATE OF THE BOROUGH TWO YEARS AGO —THE $100 MILLION DOLLAR REVITALIZATION OF THE NEW YORK AQUARIUM. THANK YOU, AQUARIUM DIRECTOR JON DOHLIN, AND CITY COUNCIL FINANCE CHAIR DOMINIC RECCHIA.

THIS PAST YEAR PROSPECT PARK HOSTED EVERYTHING FROM THE TURKISH CULTURAL CENTER’S “GRAND BAZAAR IN THE PARK” (THANKS CONSUL GENERAL MEHMET SAMSAR AND THE TURKSH CULTURAL CENTER’S MEHMET KILIC) — TO SPIKE LEE’S MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE.
           
MICHAEL JACKSON’S talent and music inspired us all. I THINK HIS BIGGEST FANS WERE HERE IN BROOKLYN.LAST SUMMER, AFTER HIS DEATH, you couldn’t walk or drive around BROOKLYN WITHOUT HEARING “abc” or “billie jean” or “thriller” pouring out from apartments and from radios on the street.
           
AT spike LEE’S CELEBRATION, i didn’t try to “moonwalk,” believe me — BUT SOMEONE WHO DID “MOON-WALK” IS HERE TONIGHT  — SIX-YEAR-OLD IKIM WHITLEY, WHO HAILS FROM east flatbush — TAKE IT AWAY, IKIM!

[He comes onstage from front — dances to “Billie Jean” — leaves]

THANK YOU IKIM!

YES, THAT WAS QUITE A PARTY — AND WE EAGERLY AWAIT PROSPECT PARK’S NEXT BIG THING, THE LAKESIDE ATTRACTION, WITH ITS ICE RINK AND RESTORED LAKE VIEWS THAT BRING IT BACK TO THE ORIGINAL DESIGN BY OLMSTEAD AND VOX! — BRAVO PROSPECT PARK ALLIANCE AND PRESIDENT TUPPER THOMAS!

BROOKLYN IS FAMOUS FOR ITS “CONFIDENCE” — AND THAT’S STILL TRUE — EVEN IN THIS ECONOMY. DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN’S BOOM CONTINUES. RESIDENTIAL HOUSING CONTINUES TO RISE. HOTELS ARE GOING UP — LIKE THE FAIRFIELD IN PARK SLOPE, AND SHERATON AND ALOFT JUST OFF FULTON MALL!

ONE-HUNDRED-AND-TEN THOUSAND VISITORS STREAMED INTO THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM FOR ONE OF THE HOTTEST SHOWS OF THE YEAR — “WHO SHOT ROCK-N-ROLL?” — (KUDOS, MUSEUM DIRECTOR ARNOLD LEHMAN).

AND TALK ABOUT “CONFIDENT” — IN 2009, BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC ANNOUNCED PLANS TO RAISE $300 MILLION. LET’S FACE IT, BAM IS AMERICA’S PREMIERE CULTURAL INSTITUTION, FROM 2009’S “STREETCAR” WITH CATE BLANCHETT, TO THE AMERICAN BALLET THEATER BRINGING THE NUTCRACKER TO BAM THIS COMING HOLIDAY SEASON! ROLL OVER MANHATTAN — AND TELL TCHAIKOVSKY THE NEWS! ¾ NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN BAM PRESIDENT KAREN BROOKS HOPKINS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JOE MELILLO AND BOARD CHAIR ALAN FISHMAN.

OF COURSE — IN 2009, CONFIDENT INVESTORS ALSO RUSHED TO BUY BONDS FOR ATLANTIC YARDS — MEANING THEY BELIEVE BROOKLYN IS THE FUTURE. SOON WE WILL HAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UNION JOBS — AND THE DOWNTOWN CULTURAL CENTER THAT THE FOURTH-LARGEST CITY IN AMERICA DESERVES — WITH A STATE-OF-THE-ART ARENA HOSTING EVERYTHING FROM MUSIC AND THEATER TO PRO BASKETBALL.(AND MAYBE EVEN A HOCKEY TEAM CALLED THE “BROOKLYN ISLANDERS!”) LISTEN, I KNOW THE NETS ARE IN THE CELLAR RIGHT NOW — BUT WIN OR LOSE, THE BROOKLYN DODGERS WERE ALWAYS OUR BELOVED “BUMS” — AND WHEN THE NETS PLAY AT BARCLAYS CENTER, I’M CONFIDENT OUR BROOKLYN FANS WILL CHEER “DEM BUMS” TO AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!

 BROOKLYN COUNTS: ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

AS WE KNOW, DESPITE ALL THAT BODES WELL FOR BROOKLYN, TOO MANY STILL HAVE TOO FEW OPPORTUNITIES.

I WILL SOON BE HOLDING AN ECONOMIC STRATEGY MEETING, LED BY DEPUTY MAYOR ROBERT LIEBER (THANK YOU, BOB!) — TO TALK ABOUT CREATING JOBS IN EAST NEW YORK-BROWNSVILLE, WHERE UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG MEN IS OVER 24 PERCENT.

I WAS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF EAST NEW YORK’S GATEWAY ESTATES SHOPPING CENTER TO CREATE 600,000 SQUARE FEET OF RETAIL AND THOUSANDS OF JOBS — AND ADVOCATE FOR A MAJOR SUPERMARKET IN THE AREA.

BUT WE NEED TO DO MORE. I RECENTLY HAD AN EXPERIENCE THAT I THINK IS FAIRLY COMMON. i had to call MY bank to ask a question about my first mortgage payment. (by the way, you’re all invited to my “mortgage burning” party — WHEN i make my last payment ON DECEMBER 1, 2039!) i called the bank — AND the person i spoke to was a gentleman IN INDIA. he was helpful and answered my questions — BUT i thought — is there not onebanking institution that would open up a call center HERE IN east new york? rather than halfway across the world??

we need to CREATE incentives to get our largest companies to employ our own — and penalize those that HAVE RECEIVED TAXPAYER BAILOUTS AND YET STILL refuse to create jobs right here for those who are struggling. we must continue to fight to create that opportunity — and BRING THESE JOBS HOME!

THAT’S WHY MY OFFICE IS WORKING TO BRING IN A LARGE-SCALE EMPLOYER — A MANUFACTURER LIKE LG ELECTRONICS, WHICH MAY FIND BENEFITS TO BUILDING AN ASSEMBLY OR DISTRIBUTION CENTER RIGHT HERE IN THE NAVY YARD — OR EAST NEW YORK. WE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO CORPORATIONS THAT MIGHT LOCATE REGIONAL OFFICES HERE. WE MUST MAKE THESE JOB OPPORTUNITIES ACCESSIBLE TO THE HARD-WORKING RESIDENTS OF BROOKLYN!

BROOKLYN COUNTS: ENTREPREURS AND INNOVATION

OUR BOROUGH’S FUTURE ALSO DEPENDS ON THE ENERGY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS.

INNOVATORS LIKE michelle fields of michelle new york ON ATLANTIC AVENUE in boerum hill — WHOSE POPULAR MULTI-WRAP GARMENTS MADE WITH SUSTAINABLE FABRICS ARE A HIT WITH STYLISH “BROOKLYN-RENAISSANCE-WOMEN. — MICHELLE, PLEASE STAND!

BROOKLYNITE blake harrison TOOK HIP-HOP TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH FLOCABULARY, IN DUMBO — A KIND OF “schoolhouse rap” THAT TEACHES LANGUAGE, MATH AND EVEN SHAKESPEARE — AND IS NOW PART OF THE CURRICULUM IN 10,000 SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE! NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL “DROPPING SCIENCE!” BLAKE, please STAND.

            HOW DID DITMAS PARK MAGAZINE WRITER FAYE PENN HANDLE ECONOMIC MELTDOWN? SHE STARTED BROKELYN.COM, A WEBSITE DEDICATED TO HELPING BROOKLYNITES FIND DEALS ON EVERYTHING FROM HANDBAGS TO HEALTH CARE! THE SMART MONEY SAYS HER POPULAR VENTURE WILL FAR OUTLAST THIS RECESSION ITSELF. FAYE PENN, PLEASE STAND.

             BROOKLYN IS A CITY OF IMMIGRANTS, AND EVEN IN THIS ECONOMY, OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES ARE CREATING JOBS. — WE SALUTE PHILLIP PENG, OWNER OF GET WELL PHARMACY IN BROOKLYN’S “CHINATOWN” ¾ A.K.A SUNSET PARK ¾ WHICH NOW HAS FIVE LOCATIONS OFFERING “EXTRAS” LIKE MULTI-LINGUAL MEDICATION LABELS AND MEDICAL SCREENINGS — WATCH OUT CVS! PHILLIP PENG, PLEASE STAND!

            (KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!)

            IN BROOKLYN WE CONTINUE TO SAY “HOW GREEN IT IS!” JUST LOOK AT GOTHAM GREENS, BUILDING THE FIRST COMMERCIAL ROOFTOP FARMS IN THE CITY, INCLUDING A 20,000-SQUARE-FOOT GREENHOUSE ON A FACTORY ROOF IN ¾ WHERE ELSE? ¾ “GREEN”-POINT. BRAVO GOTHAM GREENS — CO-FOUNDER, VIRAJ  PURI, PLEASE STAND.

            HOW DO YOU THINK I FELT WHEN MY FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR ERIC DEMBY SAID HE WAS LEAVING ME TO START A FLEA MARKET? I SAID, “WHAT? ARE YOU A MESHUGANUH?” JOINING FORCES WITH jonathan butler OF THE REAL ESTATE BLOG BROWNSTONER, HE founded THE BROOKLYN FLEA, A HIPSTER MECCA WHERE ANTIQUE DEALERS AND DESIGNERS sell THEIR wares — outdoors in ft. greene and dumbo, and now indoors AT ONE HANSON PLACE, A.K.A. THE williamsburg savings bank building. they get more press than BRANGELINA! ERIC AND JONATHAN, PLEASE STAND UP. YOU’RE MAKIN’ A LIVING!

THE BROOKLYN FLEA ALSO SHOWCASES “CURATED” “ARTISANAL” FOOD AS WELL. IF THAT SOUNDS FANCY, IT’S AS SIMPLE AS THIS: THEY SELL FOOD BY VENDORS LIKE yolanda and fernando martinez — BROOKLYNITES BY WAY OF MEXICO, whose “country boys” taco truck HAS BEEN OFFICIALly VOTED THE best street food in new york CITY! fernando MARTINEZ, PLEASE STAND! qUE  RICO!

in 2009, “ARTISANAL FOOD” WAS HOT — EVERYTHING FROM HOME-MADE CHOCOLATE TO PICKLES AND FRANKS! building on our legendary NATHAN’S, WE SAW THE ARRIVAL OF “hot-doggers” like  BARK, ultimate, WILLIE’S DAWGS AND HOT-DIGGITY-DOG.
           
AND TALK ABOUT CRAFTSMANSHIP — BROOKLYN WAS ONCE HOME TO MORE BREWERIES THAN MILWAUKEE!  BREWERIES LIKE PIEL’S, F&M, SCHAFFER, RHEINGOLD, AND MORE. IN 1996, STEVE HINDY REVIVED OUR BEER-BASED ECONOMY WITH BROOKLYN BREWERY. NOW, FOLLOWING STEVE’S LEAD, BREWERS LIKE WILLIAMSBURG’S SCHMALTZ AND RED HOOK’S SIXPOINT CRAFT ALES ARE BRINGING THEIR OWN KEGS TO THE PARTY.THE KINGPIN, STEVE HINDY FROM BROOKLYN BREWERY ¾ AND SIXPOINT BREWMASTER SHANE WELCH ¾ PLEASE STAND.

AND WHAT GOES BETTER WITH BEER THAN PIZZA? WHEN IT COMES TO PIZZA, BROOKLYN’S ALWAYS BEEN A LEGEND. WHEN YOU’VE GOT TOTONNO’S, GRIMALDI’S, IGNAZIO’S, ROCCO’S, LUCALI, L&B SPUMONI GARDENS, DI FARA’S AND MORE — IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOU SEE THINGS LIKE I DID ON MY RECENT TRIP TO TURKEY  —

BROOKLYN PIZZA IN ISTANBUL! THANKS TO OUR ENTREPRENEURS — THE “BROOKLYN BRAND” IS WORLDWIDE.

            OF COURSE, TECHNOLOGY IS STILL A HOT COMMODITY — AND THE MERGER OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY AND BROOKLYN’S POLYTECHNIC university MEANS MORE NEW TECH STARTUPS IN BROOKLYN. KUDOS TO PRESIDENT JERRY HULTIN, WHOSE NYU-POLYTECH CAMPUS IS DEDICATED TO PROMOTING “INNOVATION, INVENTION, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.” NOW, N-Y-U REALLY “BEGINS IN BROOKLYN!” PRESIDENT JERRY HULTIN , PLEASE STAND!

YES, BROOKLYN IS A REAL COLLEGE TOWN!  WE’VE GOT MORE COLLEGE STUDENTS THAN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS! AND THERE’S NO “INNOVATION” WITHOUT “EDUCATION.”

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I GRADUATED FROM BROOKLYN COLLEGE AFTER STUDYING FOR NINE YEARS, ATTENDING EVENING SESSIONS, BECAUSE i had to HOLD DOWN A day JOB as well. (during those years, I NEVER SAW DAYLIGHT — but i got a wonderful education!) NOW MY ALMA MATER HAS APPOINTED — FINALLY! — ITS FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT. DR. KAREN GOULD IS A REAL STAR — SHE COMES TO US FROM LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA — BUT SHE’S HIT THE BIG TIME HERE IN BROOKLYN. DR. GOULD, PLEASE STAND. (FINALLY A COLLEGE PRESIDENT I CAN SEE “EYE-TO-EYE” WITH!)

ALSO JOINING US TONIGHT ¾  THE NEW DYNAMIC PRESIDENT OF THE “FLAGSHIP OF CITY UNIVERSITY,” MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE, DR. WILLIAM POLLARD. WHO IS TAKING THAT INSTITUTION TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. THANK YOU, DR. POLLARD! — PLEASE STAND

BROOKLYN COUNTS: TOURISM

IN BROOKLYN WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT TOURISM. INCREASINGLY BROOKLYN IS A PRIMARY DESTINATION FOR TOURISTS — (AND IF THEY WANNA TAKE A DAY TRIP TO MANHATTAN, THAT’S OKAY!) IN ADDITION TO OUR TOURISM CENTER AT BOROUGH HALL —WHICH, SINCE OPENING SIX YEARS AGO, HAS HOSTED 60,000 VISITORS from 57 countries and 42 states ¾ WE’RE IN THE BROOKLYN CRUISE TERMINAL, WE’VE GOT SUMMER PUSHCARTS AT MAJOR EVENTS, AND NEXT MONTH, WE WILL BE EXPANDING INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NEW LONG ISLAND RAILROAD TERMINAL ON ATLANTIC AVENUE,  PROMOTING BROOKLYN EVENTS TO OVER 57,000 TRANSIT RIDERS A DAY. THANK YOU PRESIDENT OF LONG ISLAND RAILROAD HELENA WILLIAMS.

OVER THE WINTER HOLIDAYS, MY OFFICE WORKED WITH brooklyn “bids,” restaurants and retailers ON THE SECOND ANNUAL “SHOP BROOKLYN!” CAMPAIGN. (THANK YOU BROOKLYN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, BOARD CHAIR PETER MEYER AND PRESIDENT CARL HUM.) AND REMEMBER, SHOP BROOKLYN THIS VALENTINES DAY!

BECAUSE IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ARTISTS CONTINUE TO THRIVE HERE — THIS PAST NOVEMBER WE HELD THE SECOND ANNUAL “SMART GALLERY HOP” FEATURING tours of OVER 70 BROOKLYN gaLLERIES!

BROOKLYN IS A BOROUGH OF BOOK-LOVERS — AND THIS PAST SEPTEMBER, BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL —FEATURING 220 AUTHORS and 150 vendors — DREW A CROWD OF 35,000 TO DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN. NEW YORK MAGAZINE CALLED IT “HIGHBROW” AND “BRILLIANT,” AND I COULDN’T AGREE MORE. with us tonight IS ONE OF OUR STAR AUTHORS, brooklyn’s own amy sohn, whose SMART AND steamy NOVEL “prospect park west” POKES SOME FUN AT THE park slope “stroller derby.” (it’s like parkslopeparents.com meets sex and the city). amy, you know, after reading EXCERPTS from your book, i had to move off prospect park west — my life is just way too mundane!) — amy, please stand!

THIS YEAR, FOR THE BOOK FESTIVAL’S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY — WE WILL LAUNCH “BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL WEEKEND”! sunday, SEPTEMBER 12, festival day, WILL FOLLOW A WEEKEND OF EVENTS at INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES LIKE THE NEW GREENLIGHT BOOKSTORE IN FORT GREENE, THE SOON-TO-OPEN BOULEVARD BOOKS AND CAFE IN DYKER HEIGHTS AND HOT-SPOTS LIKE LITTLEFIELD IN GOWANUS. GREENLIGHT’S JESSICA STOCKTON BAGNULO AND REBECCA FITTING, BOULEVARD’S TATIANA NICOLI, AND LITTLEFIELD’S KIMBERLY KNOX — LET’S SHOW THE WORLD THAT BROOKLYN — IS INDEED “BOOK- LYN” — PLEASE STAND.

AS “BEEP,” I’M ALSO BROOKLYN’S “FOODIE-IN-CHIEF” — JUST TAKE ONE LOOK AT ME, AND YOU KNOW WHICH EVENT IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE. THIS YEAR “DINE IN BROOKLYN RESTAURANT WEEK” WILL RUN FROM MARCH 15TH THROUGH THE 25 TH. LAST YEAR WE FEATURED 227 RESTAURANTS — AND WE’VE GOT SOME OF OUR STARS HERE TONIGHT.

A TOURISM ATTRACTION UNTO ITSELF — JUNIOR’S IS CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF SERVING THE BEST CHEESECAKE IN AMERICA! (THEY FELT SO BAD FOR MANHATTANITES, THEY HAD TO OPEN AN OUTPOST THERE, BUT THAT’S OKAY, BROOKLYNITES ARE GENEROUS, WE CAN SHARE.) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUNIOR’S, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THIRD-GENERATION OWNER, ALAN ROSEN!, PLEASE STAND!

THIS NEXT GREAT EATERY REMINDS US THAT HISTORIC CROWN HEIGHTS WAS ONCE KNOWN AS “CROW HILL!” THE NEW CROW HILL BISTRO ON NOSTRAND AVENUE SERVES “AMERICAN COMFORT FOOD WITH A CARIBBEAN TWIST” — AND I’M DELIGHTED TO HAVE ONE OF ITS OWNERS WITH US TONIGHT. ROBIN BRAMWELL STEWART, PLEASE STAND!

AND BARRIO RESTAURANT — A PARAGON OF “SPICY, EARTHY MEXICAN CUISINE” IN PARK SLOPE ON 7TH AVENUE — WILL BE EXPANDING ITS CAFE ON BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY’S GORGEOUS TERRACE  OVERLOOKING GRAND ARMY PLAZA. BARRIO’S SPENCER ROTHSCHILD, PLEASE STAND!

IN 2009, WE ALSO HAD WHAT YOU COULD CALL A “MINI-DINE-IN-BROOKLYN.” WORKING WITH new york roadrunners, WE ARRANGED RESTAURANT DISCOUNTS FOR RUNNERS IN THE CITY’S LARGEST HALF-MARATHON, THE BROOKLYN grand prix, ALONG A COURSE FROM prospect park to coney island. (I STARTED THE RACE — THEN DROVE DOWN TO MEET THE RUNNERS AT NATHAN’S!)

BROOKLYN TOURISM works hard TO ATTRACT CONFERENCES TO BROOKLYN — and last year our borough hosted SEVERAL. a MAJOR one WAS the “LITTLE PEOPLE OF AMERICA.” CITIES ACROSS THE NATION COMPETE EACH YEAR to get this CONFERENCE — AND FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER — WE BROUGHT them TO BROOKLYN.

there i am, looking A LITTLE taller than usual. 

this event BROUGHT THOUSANDS OF LITTLE PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES TO our hotels, restaurants, shops and attractions. AND BELIEVE ME — THAT IS A BIG DEAL!

TO THE WORLD AT LARGE — “CONEY ISLAND” STILL CONJUREs “AMERICA’S PLAYGROUND.” I REMEMBER, AS A CHILD, THE EXCITEMENT IN THE LATE ‘40s AND ‘50s — WHAT CONEY ISLAND MEANT TO ME — AND TO GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES. THE APPROVAL OF THE “CONEY ISLAND” PLAN MEANS THE NEXT GENERATION WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE THE SAME SWEET MEMORIES I HAD — KUDOS TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG, DOMINIC RECCHIA, EDC, AND ITS CONEY ISLAND DEVELOPEMENT CORPORATION AND PRESIDENT LYNN KELLY! I SALUTE THOSE WHO BELIEVED IN CONEY THROUGH IT ALL, LIKE CONEY’S “MAYOR,” DICK ZIGUN, CAROL ALBERT, AND THE VOURDERIS FAMILY — YOU KEPT THE FAITH!

            CONEY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CIRCUS, AND LAST SUMMER WE ACTUALLY HAD ONE — THE RINGLING BROTHERS “BOOM-A-RING” (THANKS, TACONIC AND FELD ENTERTAINMENT — I KNOW THIS SUMMER WILL BE EVEN BETTER! IN THE CONEY ISLAND PLAN, I CALLED FOR MORE AMUSEMENTS — INSISTING THAT LOCAL CONEY RESIDENTS, WHO WILL BE HOSTING THE WORLD, BENEFIT FROM JOBS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND DISCOUNTED AMUSEMENTS AS WELL.

            AND I’M DELIGHTED THAT, THIS SUMMER, ITALY’S ZAMPERLA, SUPPLIERS OF RIDES TO PLACES LIKE EURO-DISNEY IN PARIS — WILL LAUNCH THE 21ST CENTURY “LUNA PARK.” THIS IS YET ANOTHER SHOW OF INTERNATIONAL CONFIDENCE IN BROOKLYN!  — AND PROOF POSITIVE THAT CONEY ISLAND’S BEST DAYS ARE YET TO COME!
           
ONE PART OF CONEY’S REVIVAL THAT I’M ESPECIALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS THE ASSER LEVY PARK PROJECT — WHICH WILL NOT ONLY IMPROVE THE PARK WITH NEW WALKWAYS AND RECREATION AREAS LIKE AN EXPANDED PLAYGROUND — BUT ALSO REFURBISH ITS HISTORIC BANDSHELL ON THE SPOT WHERE JOHN PHILIP SOUSA ONCE PLAYED, WHICH HAS BEEN THE SITE OF LIVE PERFORMANCES FOR OVER A CENTURY — INCLUDING THE THURSDAY SHOWS I’VE HOSTED THERE SINCE 1991.
           
THIS PROJECT WILL MAKE THE PARK MORE USABLE FOR RESIDENTS AND CREATE THE REVITALIZED GATEWAY THAT OUR NEW CONEY ISLAND DESERVES. THANK YOU DDC COMMISSIONER DAVID BURNEY, COUNCIL MEMBER DOMINIC RECCHIA, SENATOR CARL KRUGER AND EVERYONE AT CITY HALL.
           
            I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT MUSIC, LIKE SPORTS, BRINGS COMMUNITIES TOGETHER — IT’S WHY I’VE HOSTED FREE CONCERTS EVERY SUMMER FOR OVER 30 YEARS. HERE’S ANITA BAKER AT WINGATE FIELD’S MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CONCERT SERIES LAST YEAR. AND THE SEASON FINALE — DONNA SUMMER AT THE SEASIDE CONCERT SERIES IN CONEY ISLAND — WHICH ATTRACTED OVER 15,000 FANS.

            IT WOULDN’T BE A STATE-OF-THE-BOROUGH WITHOUT A MENTION OF THE LOEW’S KINGS THEATER ON FLATBUSH AVENUE IN FLATBUSH. I HAD MY FIRST DATE IN THE UPPER-LEFT BALCONY — AND WHO MY AGE DIDN’T HAVE THEIR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXERCISES AT THE LOEW’S KINGS? RIGHT RON? — RON SCHWEIGER, OUR BROOKLYN BOROUGH HISTORIAN, HE KNOWS!

            THIS NEVER SUB-DIVIDED “WONDER THEATER” HAS BEEN EMPTY, DECAYING FOR OVER 30 YEARS. WELL, TONIGHT I THRILLED TO SAY, THAT WHAT WAS ONCE JUST A DREAM — (AND WHICH HAS BEEN ONE OF MY BIGGEST GOALS FOR BROOKLYN SINCE DAY ONE) — IS NOW A REALITY! THE CITY HAS CONTRACTED WITH A FABULOUS OPERATOR — WHO WILL BE GIVING THE LOEW’S KINGS NEW LIFE — AS A MULTI-USE PERFORMANCE SPACE —AN APOLLO AND BEACON THEATER ALL IN ONE! —AND AN ECONOMIC ENGINE FOR FLATBUSH AVENUE AND ALL OF CENTRAL BROOKLYN!
           
ARTS CENTER ENTERPRISES HAS REHABBED VENUES LIKE THE BOSTON OPERA HOUSE AND THE WARNER THEATER IN WASHINGTON, DC.  LET’S ALL WELCOME ARTS CENTER ENTERPRISES TO BROOKLYN — DAVID ANDERSON, ALLEN BECKER, GARY BECKER, GARY MARKOWITZ (NO RELATION!), AND GARY MARTINEZ. AND  THANK YOU, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART — EDC PRESIDENT AND BROOKLYN RESIDENT, SETH PINSKY! ALL OF YOU, PLEASE, STAND!

BROOKLYN COUNTS: THE BOROUGH PRESIDENCY
           
LAST SPRING THE DAILY NEWS CALLED BOROUGH PRESIDENTS “USELESS WASTES” — AND “BLOOD-SUCKING LEECHES.” THEY CALLED ME A KNUCKLEHEAD — AND A MORON. WELL I SAY — FUHGEDDABOUDIT! — BROOKLYNITES KNOW BETTER. BROOKLYNITES KNOW THAT IF YOU SCRAP BOROUGH PRESIDENTS, YOU LOSE THE BOROUGH’S VOICE ¾ AND WITHOUT THAT VOICE, IF THE “POWERS THAT BE” DECIDE BROOKLYN DOESN’T COUNT — BELIEVE ME, IT WON’T.

I RAN FOR THIS OFFICE BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE THE BOROUGH PRESIDENT THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB FOR BROOKLYNITES. AND I WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY TO MAKE SURE BROOKLYN GETS ITS FAIR SHARE.

            WHEN THE OWNERS OF STARRET CITY WANTED TO TAKE IT OUT OF MITCHELL LAMA, I FOUGHT ALONGSIDE THE TENANTS AND TENANT ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS MARIE PURNELL AND REBECCA CARABALLO, AND FELLOW ELECTED OFFICIALS TO DEMAND THAT THE NEARLY 6,000 UNITS IN THIS COMPLEX — AMERICA’S MODEL OF SUCCESSFUL, AFFORDABLE, DIVERSE URBAN LIVING — REMAIN AFFORDABLE FOREVER!

            WHEN “FLU SEASON” BEGAN LAST YEAR AND I HEARD THAT four OF OUR BROOKLYN school-BASED HEALTH clinics were GOING to close, I immediately convened stakeholders to ARRANGE FOR FUNDING TO keep them open. (THANK YOU, governor PATERSON, AND OUR STATE LEGISLATORS, especially assemblywoman joan millman and senator daniel squadron)

            WHEN I SAW STATISTICS ON HOW “WHITE” THE BEST JOBS IN ADVERTISING STILL REMAIN, DESPITE THE HUGE AFRICAN-AMERICAN BUYING MARKET, I HELPED CREATE A HIGH SCHOOL FOR INNOVATION IN ADVERTISING AND MEDIA IN CANARSIE— FOLLOWED BY THE BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF GLOBAL FINANCE IN BEDFORD-STUYVESANT.
          
           WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CREATED CITY-WIDE GIFTED-AND-TALENTED SCHOOLS — WITH NONE IN THIS BOROUGH ¾ I DEMANDED ONE IN BROOKLYN — AND WE GOT IT! (BRAVO BROOKLYN SCHOOL OF INQUIRY IN BENSONHURST!)  WHEN TRANS-GAS ENERGY WANTED TO BUILD A POWER PLANT ON BUSHWICK INLET, I HELPED LEAD THE FIGHT FOR EIGHT YEARS AGAINST IT, ALONG WITH OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS LIKE GOWAP AND NAG AND LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS — AND WE WON! NOW THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS THAT MUCH CLOSER TO HAVING THE WATERFRONT PARK ITS FAMILIES DESERVE!

           WHEN A CONTENTIOUS REVIEW PROCESS WAS CONDUCTED ON THE FUTURE OF THE FLUSHING AVENUE SIDE OF THE  BROOKLYN NAVY YARD, I FOUGHT FOR A NEW SUPERMARKET AND NEW INDUSTRIAL JOBS FOR RESIDENTS, ESPECIALLY THE RESIDENTS OF INGERSOLL AND WHITMAN HOUSES. NOW, FRESH FOOD AND JOBS ARE ON THE WAY — (THANKS YOU COUNCIL MEMBER TISH JAMES!)

            WHEN OUR ITALIAN COMMUNITY NEEDED HELP CREATING A COMMUNITY CENTER, WE WERE ABLE TO DO SO— THIS YEAR BREAKING GROUND ON THE NEW IL CENTRO. — GRAZIE, JACK SPATOLA AND THE ITALIAN FEDERATION.

            and WHEN I HEARD THAT MEMBERS OF BROOKLYN’S lgbt community WERE FORCED TO GO ALL THE WAY TO MANHATTAN FOR NEEDED PROGRAMS — I SAID, “ANYTHING MANHATTAN HAS, BROOKLYN CAN DO BETTER!” I’VE COMMITTED FUNDING, ALONG WITH COUNCIL SPEAKER quinn — TOWARDS A NEW BROOKLYN COMMUNITY PRIDE CENTER! AND BOROUGH HALL IS NOW SERVING AS AN INTERIM SITE FOR PROGRAMMING UNTIL THE NEW CENTER IS BUILT. BRAVO, BROOKLYN COMMUNITY PRIDE AND board president tom smith.

      NOW — I WANT EVERYONE TO LOOK AROUND YOU — AT THIS BEAUTIFUL NEW PARK SLOPE ARMORY YMCA ¾ AND THINK ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL IT WILL BE FOR THE RESIDENTS, FAMILIES AND CHILDREN OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. I’M PROUD TO HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN GETTING THIS DONE. AND THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON THAT THE RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL BROOKLYN  — WHICH IS HOME TO TWO GORGEOUS, MASSIVE AND UNDER-UTILIZED ARMORIES — SHOULD NOT HAVE THE VERY SAME AMENITIES!

           AS BOROUGH PRESIDENT, I WILL BE ALLOCATING $1 MILLION TO EACH ONE — TO GET THE BALL ROLLING — AND I PROMISE YOU, I WILL NOT REST — UNTIL THEBEDFORD-ATLANTIC ARMORY IN CROWN HEIGHTS — AND THE SUMNER AVENUE ARMORY IN BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — LOOK — JUST — LIKE —  THIS!
          
 THIS — IS WHAT A STRONG BOROUGH PRESIDENT CAN DO — AND BROOKLYN DESERVES A STRONG VOICE. THAT’S WHY I’M GOING TO BE DEMANDING CHARTER CHANGES —TO “BEEF UP” THE JOB OF BOROUGH PRESIDENT!  AND PUBLIC ADVOCATE! — AND COMMUNITY BOARDS! WE MUST STRENGTHEN THESE OFFICES — DEMAND BUDGETS DETERMINED BY FORMULA AND NOT BY WHIM — SO THOSE YOU ELECTED TO FIGHT FOR YOUR INTERESTS CAN DO SO!

THEY TOOK AWAY BROOKLYN’S “CITY-HOOD” IN 1898 — AND THE “BOARD OF ESTIMATE” IN 1989. WE WILL NOT LET THEM MAKE US MERELY A BUREAU IN THE BUREAUCRACY!

BROOKLYN COUNTS: HOUSING

                  THIS YEAR, THOUGH MY ADVOCACY AND LAND USE RECOMMENDATIONS, WE ACHIEVED POPULAR DOWNZONINGS IN CARROLL GARDENS, SUNSET PARK, NORTH FLATBUSH, GREENPOINT-WILLIAMSBURG, AND CANARSIE — PRESERVING THE CHARACTER AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS FOR BROOKLYN FAMILIES. THANK YOU TO BROOKLYN’S MEMBER OF THE NYC PLANNING COMMISSION — SHIRLEY MCRAE.
                 
            AND BECAUSE A SAFE HOME IS A RIGHT WE ALL DESERVE, I ALLOCATED $2 MILLION — ALONG WITH FUNDING FROM SENATOR CHARLES SCHUMER AND COUNCIL MEMBER DARLENE MEALY —TO GET SECURITY CAMERAS FOR BROWNSVILLE AND TILDEN PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, ONE OF THE LARGEST PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CITY.

            I SALUTE OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS ON THAT PROJECT — GREG “JOCKO” JACKSON OF BROWNSVILLE PARTNERSHIP  AND TENANTS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS LAURA MORGAN AND MARIE BOONE. YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN!JOCKO, LAURA, MARIE— PLEASE STAND.

            RESIDENTS LIKE THESE ARE SUPERSTARS OF COMMUNITY ADVOCACY — AND WHEN IT COMES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BROOKLYN IS VERY LUCKY TO ALSO HAVE A FORMER NEW YORK METS SUPERSTAR “goING to bat” for us as well.THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE NOBLE DREW ALI PLAZA HOUSING COMPLEX IN BROWNSVILLE WAS OVERRUN WITH RATS, ROACHES, DRUG DEALERS, BROKEN ELEVATORS AND UNCOLLECTED GARBAGE PILING UP IN HALLWAYS.
           
THAT IS, UNTIL baseball legend mo vaughn, AND business partner eugene schneur, co-founders of omni NEW YORK, BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, AND MADE “MAJOR LEAGUE” IMPROVEMENTS— NEW ELEVATORS, FLOORS, APPLIANCES, KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS. EVICTING NOT THE RESIDENTS — BUT THE NARCOTICS TRADE THAT FORCED PEOPLE TO LIVE IN FEAR. I WAS PROUD TO BE A PARTNER IN THIS PROJECT — WHICH TRANSFORMED DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS into WARM, INVITING HOMES where children feel safe — in short, GIVING brooklyn families their NEIGHBORHOODS BACK. BRAVO — YOUR WORK IN BROOKLYN HAS JUST BEGUN!
           
            FOR mo AND EUGENE — EVERY home saved is a home run! — PLEASE STAND.

BROOKLYN COUNTS: HEALTH

the borough president’s office is a TRULY a place where partnerships bloom.
THIS YEAR, OUR brooklyn center on health disparities —A partnership spearheaded by my deputy borough president yvonne graham — received NEARLY $2 million dollars in federal stimulus money — AND OUR brooklyn nursing PARTNERSHIP, ADDRESSING THE NURSING SHORTAGE, was able to GRANT two scholarships for graduate STUDY — one of them to BATH BEACH RESIDENT KATHLEEN CERVASIO, PROFESSOR OF NURSING AT LIU — KATHLEEN, PLEASE STAND.

             A PARTNERSHIP I WAS THRILLED TO HELP FACILITATE, ALONG WITH OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS, WAS BETWEEN LONG ISLAND COLLEGE HOSPITAL AND SUNY DOWNSTATE. TWO YEARS AGO, LICH WAS ON LIFE SUPPORT. THOUGH IT SERVES A DIVERSE AREA FULL OF YOUNG FAMILIES, IT WAS ABOUT TO SHUT ITS MATERNITY AND PEDIATRICS WARDS, AND POSSIBLY CLOSE ITS DOORS FOREVER. WE SAID ABSOLUTELY NO WAY — AND WORKED TO SAVE THOSE SERVICES AND HUNDREDS OF JOBS. CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING THIS PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL — LICH PRESIDENT DOMINIC STANZIONE AND SUNY DOWNSTATE PRESIDENT JOHN LAROSA!
            
WITH PREVENTIVE HEALTH SO CRITICAL AND OBESITY ON THE RISE — WE CONTINUE TO ASK BROOKLYN TO LIGHTEN UP. AND LAST FALL AT OUR “TAKE YOUR MAN TO THE DOCTOR CAMPAIGN, “REALITY TV” STARS FROM REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC, BOERUM HILL’S ALEX MCCORD AND SIMON VAN KEMPEN WERE JOINED BY NICOLE BREWER AND DAMIEN GURGANIOUS — NEWLYWEDS WHO MET AT IN A WATER AEROBICS CLASS AT THE BEDFORD-STUYVESANT YMCA.

DAMIEN AND NICOLE, YOU LOST 264 POUNDS ON THE NBC SHOW “THE BIGGEST LOSERS” AND THAT MAKES YOU BIG BROOKLYN WINNERS. NICOLE AND DAMIAN PLEASE STAND. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION — AND BELIEVE ME, I NEED IT!

BROOKLYN COUNTS: ENVIRONMENT

           GOOD HEALTH DEPENDS ON A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT.
            THAT’S WHY EACH SEPTEMBER WE HOST A CITY-WIDE GREEN BROOKLYN CONFERENCE. ITS WHY MY OFFICE HAS WORKED SO HARD ON THE BROOKLYN WATERFRONT GREENWAY — A 14-MILE BIKING AND WALKING PATH FROM GREENPOINT TO SUNSET PARK — CONNECTING FOUR MAJOR PARKS AND OVER A DOZEN OPEN SPACES ALONG OUR HISTORIC WATERFRONT — AND IT’S WHY I SUPPORTED THE BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN’S VISITOR CENTER PAVILION, WHICH BREAKS GROUND IN 2010 AND OPENS IN 2011 — TO HELP SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF CONSERVATION — (BRAVO BBG PRESIDENT SCOT MEDBURY.)

ANOTHER “GREEN” PROJECT I WOULD SAY I AM “TREE-MENDOUSLY” PROUD OF — IS OUR TREE GUARD PROGRAM. SO FAR, 4,000 BROOKLYN TREES ON 350 RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS HAVE GOTTEN TREE GUARDS — WHICH NOT ONLY PROTECT TREES, BUT ALLOW RESIDENTS LIKE BEDFORD-STUYVESANT’S RANSON AND LULA SMITH TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL “MINI-GARDENS.”

        PLEASE WELCOME “GREEN-THUMBS” AND 500 BLOCK MCDONOUGH STREET BLOCK ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY RANSON AND LULA SMITH — PLEASE STAN. BY THE WAY, THIS YEAR RANSON AND LULA WILL CELEBRATE THEIR 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY — AND THEY WILL BE JOINING ME FEBRUARY 12TH AT THE EL CARIBE IN MILL BASIN FOR  OUR ANNUAL VALENTINES “SWEETHEARTS” EVENT— WHICH I’VE DONE FOR SEVEN YEARS NOW ¾ CELEBRATING WITH HUNDREDS OF COUPLES MARRIED 50 YEARS OR MORE.  JAMIE AND I RENEW THEIR VOWs, AND TOAST “TRUE BROOKLYN LOVE.”

BROOKLYN COUNTS: SENIORS

            THEN — TWO DAYS LATER, ON THE 14TH, MY BIRTHDAY — i’ll be joining the “65-PLUS club.” LOOK WHAT I JUST GOT! [photo - Medicare] WHEN YOU GET THAT MEDICARE CARD, THERE’S NO DENYING — YOU’RE IN THE “HOME STRETCH.” — (IF THAT’S NOT OFFICIAL “SENIOR-HOOD” I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS!)

            WITH BABY BOOMERS GRAYING EVERY DAY — OUR SENIOR POPULATION IN BROOKLYN IS EXPANDING RAPIDLY. THAT’S WHY I FIGHT, IN EVERY “LAND-USE ACTION,” FOR A PERCENTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR SENIORS.   AND IT’S WHY I FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE TO ALLOCATE FUNDS TO OUR SENIOR CENTERS — AND TO KEEP THEM OPEN WHEN THE CITY WANTED TO CLOSE THEM. BRAVO BOBBIE SACKMAN — FROM THE COUNCIL OF SENIOR CENTERS AND SERVICES OF NYC, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK! BOBBIE, PLEASE STAND!

BROOKLYN COUNTS: TRANSPORTATION

         PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF EMPLOYMENT FOR MOST BROOKLYNITES.

I’VE SUGGESTED RAISING FUNDS THROUGH A MODEST CAR REGISTRATION FEE, A MODEST GAS TAX DEDICATED TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, CREATING A SPECIAL LOTTERY, AND SELLING OFF COSTLY, UNNEEDED MTA PROPERTIES. AND FRANKLY, UNTIL THESE AND OTHER IDEAS ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED, I CONTINUE TO MAKE MY POSITION CRYSTAL CLEAR — NO SERVICE CUTS! NO FARE INCREASES! — AND NO TOLLS ON OUR EAST RIVER BRIDGES!

            REGARDING TRANSPORTATION PLANNING — I AM PLEASED TONIGHT TO ANNOUNCE A PARTNERSHIP WITH NYU WAGNER SCHOOL ON A GRASS-ROOTS PROJECT TO “RE-MAKE” BROOKLYN’S FOURTH AVENUE.  I HAVE LONG IMAGINED THIS BLEAK STRETCH OF ROAD TRANSFORMED INTO SOMETHING REMINISCENT OF THE BEAUTIFUL, TREE-LINED PORTION OF PARK AVENUE ON MANHATTAN’S UPPER EAST SIDE — AND MY HOPE IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY-BASED PROCESS WILL LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR A STUNNING THOROUGHFARE — REACHING FROM ATLANTIC AVENUE TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN — AND WORTHY OF THE NAME “BROOKLYN BOULEVARD” THANKS, N-Y-U TEAM AND PROFESSOR FRANK FISH!

BROOKLYN COUNTS: EDUCATION AND YOUTH

            BOROUGH PRESIDENTS HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN EDUCATION — ESPECIALLY HELPING PARENTS GET MORE INVOLVED. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN PARENTS ASKED FOR HELP, WE STARTED “BROOKLYN PARENT ACADEMY” — FREE COURSES ON HELPING CHILDREN SUCCEED, FUNDRAISING, MANAGING MONEY WISELY AND SAVING FOR COLLEGE. AND OUR LANDMARK MEETINGS BETWEEN DISTRICT AND CHARTER SCHOOL PARENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS — TAKING ON ISSUES LIKE “SPACE-SHARING” — WERE SO PRODUCTIVE THAT WE ARE PROPOSING ROLLING OUT THE MODEL CITY-WIDE.
           
            WE DON’T WIN EVERY FIGHT, OF COURSE — BUT WE NEED TO MAKE OUR VOICE HEARD. LAST WEEK I STOOD WITH PARENTS AND TEACHERS TO OPPOSE THE CLOSING OF 19 SCHOOLS CITY-WIDE. (THANK YOU TO BROOKLYN’S REPRESENTATIVE ON THE “PANEL FOR EDUCATION POLICY”— GBUBEMI OKOTIEURO.) INSTEAD OF CLOSING THESE SCHOOLS — WE SHOULD BE ASKING “WHAT HELP DO THEY NEED TO KEEP THEM OPEN —  TO MAKE THEM THE GOLD STANDARD OF EDUCATION IN THIS CITY!”

            KIDS SUCCEED WHEN WE BELIEVE IN THEM — AND PROVIDE THEM WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW. LAST YEAR, OUR Camp Brooklyn— WHICH became its own non-profit (THANK YOU DEBRA GARCIA) — sent MORE THAN 400 low income KIDS to SLEEP-AWAY Camp. OUR Summer HEAT PROGRAM PROVIDED job-readiness workshops RUN BY THE Junior League AND found summer JOBS for 156 YOUNG PEOPLE. OUR TEEN VIOLENCE TASK FORCE CONVENED GROUPS PROVIDING RESOURCES TO BROOKLYN TEENS IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATIONS (THANKS CHAIR  DR. NIKKI PALLOTTA).

AND OUR ANNUAL BOROUGH HALL COLLEGE FAIR ATTRACTED OVER 300 STUDENTS. our next guest IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW TEACHING KIDS TO RESPECT THEMSELVES WORKS MIRACLES. WHEN PRINCIPAL dakota keyes GOT TO CANARSIE’S  p-s 272, curtis estAbrook school FOUR YEARS AGO — IT WAS AT ROCK BOTTOM — RATED AN “F.” DAKOTA, WHO SEES A PRINCIPAL NOT AS AN “AUTHORITY FIGURE” BUT AS A “POSITION OF SERVICE,” LED BY EXAMPLE —CLEANING UP LITTER IN THE SCHOOL’S HALLWAYS HERSELF — AND “MODELING” A CULTURE OF RESPECT.
HER STUDENTS NOW BEGIN EACH DAY WITH AN INSPIRATIONAL SONG, YOLANDA ADAMS’ “I BELIEVE”  —
AND UNDER DAKOTA’S LEADERSHIP, THEY HAVE TURNED THAT “f” INTO A well-earned “a”. — principal dakota keyes of the curtis estAbrook school — YOU’VE MADE US ALL BELIEVERS TOO — PLEASE STAND.

BROOKLYN COUNTS: ARTS

            BROOKLYN REMAINS THE CREATIVE CAPITAL OF NEW YORK CITY — AND AMERICA.
CONGRATULATIONS TO BROOKLYN RENAISSANCE MAN DANNY SIMMONS, NEW CHAIR OF THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS, AND WELCOME TO NEW PRESIDENT OF BROOKLYN YOUTH CHORUS, VALERIE LEWIS, AND GEORGINA NGOZI, NEW DIRECTOR OF THE BROOKLYN CHILDREN’S MUSEUM.

            YOU SEE THE NEW YORKER CARTOON BY BROOKLYN HEIGHTS ARTIST DAVID SIPRESS IN OUR PROGRAM THAT SAYS “BROOKLYN IS THE MANHATTAN OF THE OTHER BOROUGHS” — WELL DAVID — YOU KNOW MY PERSPECTIVE — THESE DAYS, I THINK “MANHATTAN IS REALLY THE BROOKLYN” OF THE “OTHER BOROUGHS”!

NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE THE HOTTEST BANDS IN AMERICA — BUT ARTS GROUPS FORMERLY LOCATED IN MANHATTAN ARE MOVING HERE IN DROVES.  THIS PAST YEAR MANHATTAN’S FAMOUS KNITTING FACTORY CLUB MOVED TO, WHERE ELSE? — WILLIAMSBURG
           
THE NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS — AND  “BLACK POETRY” ORGANIZATION CAVE CANEM ARE  NOW IN DUMBO! — AND NOW WE’VE EVEN GOT OUR OWN DEDICATED FOUNDATION — THE BROOKLYN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION — BRAVO, PRESIDENT MARILYN GELBER! CERTAINLY — IN THE CULTURAL SPHERE — WHEN MY OFFICE BRINGS CREATIVE PEOPLE TOGETHER, IT’S LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
           
FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE TOLD BOERUM HILL’S AMY KAUFMANN, A PRODUCER OF THE HIT SHOW “GOSSIP GIRL,” ABOUT JOHN WILLIAMS AND THE YOUNG BROOKLYN FILMMAKERS IN “REEL-WORKS,” — SHE OFFERED TO RECRUIT GOSSIP GIRL STAR JESSICA SHORE TO WORK WITH THE GROUP ON A SPECIAL PROJECT — IT WAS A CHARMED MATCH, AND YOU’LL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT THEIR COLLABORATION LATER THIS YEAR! — THANK YOU AMY AND JOHN!

            I HAVE BEEN PROUD TO SUPPORT THE BROOKLYN BALLET — AND ITS NEW “HOME THEATER” IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN’S SCHERMERHORN HOUSE — WHERE THEY WILL PERFORM AND INAUGURATE THE OPENING OF BROOKLYN’S NEWEST THEATRE IN APRIL 2010! — (BRAVO ARTISTIC DIRECTOR LYNN PARKERSON) —

             and TO FUND THE WEEKSVILLE HERITAGE CENTER IN CENTRAL BROOKLYN — ONE OF THE PREMIERE AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTERS IN AMERICA — ITS NEW BUILDING broke ground in 2009 — KUDOS PAM GREEN! I AM ESPECIALLY PROUD TO HELP CREATE A HOME IN DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN,  ALONG OUR GROWING CULTURAL CORRIDOR — FOR THE  CUTTING-EDGE PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATION ISSUE PROJECT ROOM. IT WAS THE “DREAM PROJECT” OF FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC TRAILBLAZER SUZANNE FIOL — TO CREATE WHAT SHE CALLED A “CARNEGIE HALL FOR THE AVANT-GARDE.”
           
SADLY, THIS PAST FALL — WE LOST SUZANNE, MUCH TOO SOON, TO CANCER — BUT WE KNOW HER MEMORY AND MISSION LIVES ON IN THE HEARTS OF ALL WHO KNEW HER AND IN THE WORK OF THE ARTISTS SHE NURTURED AND INSPIRED.

            WE ALSO LOST ANOTHER BROOKLYN TREASURE LAST YEAR — SOMEONE WHO TRULY HEARD THE MUSIC OF BROOKLYN IN HIS SOUL — OUR wonderful poet laureate, ken siegelman, of blessed memory, WHO passed away LAST summer. making ken our poet laureate is still oNE of the things i’m most proud of doing as borough president. aside from being a poet himself, ken WAS a true “ambassador” of poetry in our borough.

I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS SERVICE AND THANK HIS WIFE AS WELL, THANK YOU, PEARL, PLEASE STAND. KEN IS GREATLY MISSED.FOR OUR NEW POET LAUREATE, I WANTED SOMEONE WHO, LIKE KEN, WOULD embracE thE role of “poetic ambassador.”OUR ESTEEMED ADVISORY committee HAS WORKED VERY HARD THESE PAST FEW MONTHS TO GIVE RESPECT AND ATTENTION TO ALL SUBMISSIONS.thank you, Julie Agoos of Brooklyn College, rob casper of the poetry society of america, linda susan jackson of medgar evers college, anthony vigorito of brooklyn poetry outreach, and dionne mack-harvin, executive director of the brooklyn public library — PLEASE GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

AND NOW, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO ANNOUNCE OUR NEW brooklyn poet laureate. SHE is author of “half-lit houses”, and co-editor of language for a new century: Contemporary Poetry From the middle east, asia, and beyond. she has received honors from ORGANIZATIONS LIKE the new york foundation for the arts, “poets AND writers,” the academy of american poets, and many others. brooklyn’s new poet laureate —  PARK SLOPE RESIDENT — tina chang.
 tinA WILL NOW READ A POEM SHE HAS WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR THIS OCCASION.

OF BLESSED MEMORY 

            WITH ALL WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE IN BROOKLYN, WE ALSO PAUSE TO RECALL THOSE WE LOST THIS PAST YEAR — SPIRITUAL LEADERS LIKE THE REVEREND TIMOTHY WRIGHT, BROOKLYN’S  “GODFATHER OF GOSPEL,” PASTOR OF THE GRACE TABERNACLE CHRISTIAN CENTER CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST ¾ AND HUSBAND OF THE LATE REVEREND BETTY WRIGHT.

PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY LIKE ANNA GONZALEZ, LONGTIME CHAIR OF COMMUNITY BOARD 4, FRANK MICKENS, BELOVED PRINCIPAL OF BOYS AND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL IN BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, ROSEMARIE O’KEEFE OF BAY RIDGE, FORMER COMMISSIONER OF THE MAYOR’S COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE UNIT, JACKIE RANDAZZO PAGE, LONGTIME OWNER OF ONE OF BROOKLYN’S OLDEST AND MOST REVERED RESTAURANTS, RANDAZZO’S CLAM BAR IN SHEEPSHEAD BAY.

LOUIS VALENTINO, SR. ¾ COMMUNITY ACTIVIST, UNION LEADER OF THE I-L-A, AND FATHER OF FALLEN FDNY FIREFIGHTER LOU VALENTINO JR. MY DEAR FRIEND  LOUVINIA POINTER ¾ WHO PRESERVED THE RICH HISTORY OF THE NEGRO SPIRITUAL THROUGH HER GREAT DAY CHORALE. FRANK MCCOURT, FAMED AUTHOR OF THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING “ANGELA’S ASHES.”

new york daily news columnist joyce shelby, whose human interest stories so sensitively captured the character ¾ and characters of brooklyn and new york city. DAVID LEVINE, A MASTER OF THE CARICATURE, WHOSE DRAWINGS OF THE LIKES OF RICHARD NIXON AND LYNDON JOHNSON GRACED THE PAGES OF PUBLICATIONS LIKE THE “NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS.” AND AN ONLY-IN-BROOKLYN SUCCESS STORY RENA “RUSTY” KANOKOGI, THE “MOTHER OF WOMEN’S JUDO,”

WE ALSO REMEMBER ALL OUR BROOKLYN SOLDIERS WHO HAVE MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR OUR NATION.
LIKE ARMY SPECIALIST  KEVIN HILL OF BUSHWICK — WHO DIED WHILE SERVING IN AFGHANISTAN. KEVIN’S SISTER, SHA-NEER HILL JOINS US HERE TONIGHT.          

ALL OF BROOKLYN MOURNS YOUR LOSS ¾ AND WE THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS FOR YOUR BROTHER’S HEROIC SERVICE TO AMERICA. NOW LET’S HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE IN REMEMBRANCE OF THESE AND OTHER BROOKLYNITES WE LOST THIS PAST YEAR.

BROOKLYN COUNTS: CHARACTER AND CHARACTERS

            WHEREVER YOU LOOK THESE DAYS, BROOKLYN IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT — FROM BROOKLYN AUTHOR JONATHAN AMES’ HBO SHOW “bored to death,” which films in fort grEENE — to MARTIN SCORSESE’S “boardwalk empire,” series filming in greenpoint.

(joke)

IN THE WORLD OF “REALITY TV”—  LAST YEAR BROOKLYN HAD IRINA SHABAYEVA, A GEORGIAN IMMIGRANT FROM SHEEPSHEAD BAY, WINNING “PROJECT RUNWAY” — AND ANOTHER BROOKLYNITE, south williamsburG’S ANNA MCCRANEY, WINNING BRAVO’S “THE FASHION SHOW” hosted by brooklyn’s own isaac mizraHI! anna’S CLOTHES emphasize WEARABILITY —AND she COUNSELS WOMEN TO NOT SIMPLY FOLLOW THE LATEST TREND, BUT LET THEIR OWN “UNIQUE STYLE” SHINE THROUGH — THAT SOUNDS LIKE BROOKLYN TO ME! CONGRATULATIONS anna mccraney! — PLEASE STAND!

OUR NEXT GUEST BELIEVES THAT EVERY GIRL SHOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO FEEL LIKE A FASHION PLATE, ESPECIALLY ON PROM NIGHT — AS founder of operation fairy dust, BROOKLYNITE megan kerrigan of marine park PUTS “RUNWAY FASHION” WITHIN THE REACH OF LOW-INCOME TEENS — arrangING with famous designers TO GET DRESSES AND distribute THEM absolutely free — AT EVENTS LIKE ONE last spring, where 1,300 girls were greeted by megan and 50 “personal shoppers” who helped them choose AMONG GORGEOUS gowns. they could even get free alterations on the spot! TO GIRLS WHO WOULD NEVER OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO AFFORD SUCH GLAMOUR — MEGAN IS A HERO! MEGAN, PLEASE STAND.

When Hakeem Bennett, A STUDENT AT PS 36 IN East New York, DECIDED TO ENTER A COMIC-BOOK PUBLISHING COMPANY CONTEST TO WRITE AN essay about HIS REAL LIFE HERO — he didn’t have to look any further than HIS SPECIAL EDUCATION teacher Matthew Brown. MR. BROWN, WHO IS BLIND, takes the subway TO WORK EVERY DAY with his seeing-eye-dog. Hakeem WROTE THAT MR. Brown’s kindness maKES him a great teacher — BUT THAT HIS optimism maKES him a hero. and guess what? hakeem’s essay won THE national CONTEST—AND THE PRIZE WAS THAT BOTH HE AND MATTHEW ARE NOW characters IN a new COMIC book! — “THE KID WHO SAVED SUPERMAN.” hakeem BENNETT— PLEASE STAND.

            INSPIRATION IS THE KEY — AND I LOVE WHEN I HEAR STORIES ABOUT BROOKLYNITES GETTING SO INSPIRED BY A PROJECT THEY JUMP RIGHT ON BOARD — PEOPLE LIKE SABRINA CANARACK. LAST SUMMER, SABRINA ATTENDED A  STAGED READING  BY BROOKLYN’S BRAVE NEW WORLD REPERTORY THEATER — AND WAS SO IMPRESSED THAT THE VISIONARY COMPANY WAS PLANNING AN AMBITIOUS AND GROUNDBREAKING PERFORMANCE OF SHAKESPEARE’S “THE TEMPEST” ON THE CONEY ISLAND BOARDWALK — SHE WANTED TO HELP. SABRINA IS A THEATER LOVER — BUT SHE’S NO MILLIONAIRE —  YET SHE WROTE A CHECK FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HELP THEM COVER PRODUCTION COSTS. BRAVO! TO SABRINA — AND THE BRAVE NEW WORLD FOR BRINGING THE “BARD” TO THE BOARDWALK — MERRILY, MERRILY, SHALL THEY LIVE NOW!" SABRINA — AND BRAVE NEW WORLD ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CLAIRE BECKMAN — PLEASE STAND!

            i’m often called a “cheerleader for brooklyn” ¾ and that’s okay — i love it. the way i see it, cheer-leading means “finding the good” ¾ a definition i know my next guest agrees with. renee flowers lives in brooklyn’s gowanus houses. growing up in the ‘70s, she joined the NEIGHBORHOOD drill team, the gowanus wildcats ¾ and soon enough, by age 14, she became their leader. well, nearly 40 years later, she’s still going strong — teaching marching and stepping — routines she calls “cheerleading without the pom-poms.” BRAVO, FOR helping young wildcats find their true voice. RENEE, PLEASE STAND!
           
HAVING A BIG LOUD VOICE IS SOMETHING BROOKLYN IS KNOWN FOR — BEING “IN YOUR FACE” AS WE SAY — AS THE LATE BROOKLYN-BORN ACTIVIST-HISTORIAN HOWARD ZINN SAID — “DEMOCRACY IS NOT JUST A COUNTING UP OF VOTES — IT IS A COUNTING UP OF ACTIONS.” and our next guest IS LIVING PROOF. eighteen-year-old Kristine arroyo, OF CARROLL GARDENS, a member of new yorkers against gun violence, spoke truth to power at a rally in Albany, mentioning A boy she knew who had been KILLED in BROOKLYN.   members of the national rifle ASSOCIATION were in attendance, and christine overheard them talking about how people like her needed an “education” about the second amendment.
           
kristine STOPPED, AND asked ALL THE youNG PEOPLE in the audience to stand if they knew someone who had been killed by guns. when about 200 people stood up — she turned to the nra members and said, “i want everybody here to look ¾ we don’t need to be educated.” kRISTINE, THAT’S WHAT WE CALL THE “BROOKLYN ATTITUDE.” — PLEASE STAND.

TALK ABOUT TAKING ON POWERFUL INTERESTS — OUR NEXT GUEST PROVES IT TAKES MORE THAN TABLOID STARDOM TO  IMPRESS A TRUE BROOKLYNITE. CROWN HEIGHTS RESIDENT mohammed hashan works at a SANDWICH SHOP in little italy. one day, lindsay LOHAN visited HIS store and left her blackberry THERE. she STORMED BACK IN — DEMANDING IT BACK. SHE became furious when mohammed ASKED HER FOR HER I-D BEFORE HE WOULD GIVE HER THE PHONE. “WHO IS SHE?” HE SAID, “I NEVER HEARD OF HER!” mohammed ¾ you stuck to your convictions — to make sure that something valuable was really in the hands of its rightful owneR! THAT’S BROOKLYN VALUES! so mohammed hashan — FOR YOUR HONESTY, WE SALUTE YOU, PLEASE STAND.

            AND IF YOU THINK IT TAKES CHUTZPAH TO DEFY A SPOILED MOVIE STAR—  HOW ABOUT THE GRIM REAPER? GRAVESEND’S JOSEPH TIRALOSI BEAT THE ODDS LAST YEAR AND SHOCKED DOCTORS BY COMING BACK TO LIFE 45 MINUTES AFTER HIS HEART STOPPED BEATING DURING A CARDIAC ARREST. I CAN’T THINK OF A BETTER EXAMPLE OF BROOKLYN’S “NEVER SAY DIE” ATTITUDE.  JOSEPH PLEASE STAND .

BROOKLYNITES LOVE TO MIX AND MATCH — WE LOVE “MASH-UPS”— WHEN WE WANT TO CLIMB MOUNTAINS AT THE GYM —WE CAN GO TO “BROOKLYN BOULDERS.” WHEN WE WANT TO DANCE WHILE KNOCKING DOWN A STRIKE! — WE CAN HEAD TO “BROOKLYN BOWL” — OUR NEXT GUESTS ARE A YOUNG couple here WHO WANTED TO GET MARRIED WHILE FLOATING IN SPACE. HEY SOMETIMES WE BROOKLYNITES ARE NOT SO DOWN TO EARTH — AND THAT’S OKAY! SO, for their wedding, williamsburg residents and big-time science-fiction fans erin finnegan and noah fulmore got married on a special airline flight that lets passengers experience weightlessness ¾ THEY said their vows — literally “floating on air!” america put a man on the moon — but brooklyn put true love on cloud nine! erin and noah — mazel tov! —please stand.

            (AND BY THE WAY,  if WE can find a way for couples to get married in “zero gravity,” THERE’S NOTHING STOPPING US FROM ACHIEVING “MARRIAGE EQUALITY” FOR ALL —  HERE on this planet OR ANY OTHER!)

BROOKLYN IS THE COUNTY OF KINGS. MAYBE THAT’S WHY WE ARE SUCH BIG FANS OF  MICHAEL JACKSON, THE “KING” OF POP — AND WE’RE STILL BIG FANS OF ELVIS PRESLEY — THE “KING!” WELL, LET ME TELL YOU, IN WILLIAMSBURG, THE POMPADOUR IS BACK! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WALK AROUND LORIMER STREET IN WILLIAMSBURG THESE DAYS — WHERE YOU WILL RARELY SEE A PERSON MY AGE, OR WITH ONE COLOR HAIR, OR WITHOUT VISIBLE PIERCINGS OR TATTOOS — BUT YOU WILL FIND A BARBER-SHOP AND TATTOO PARLOR CALLED “GRACELAND BROOKLYN” DECORATED WITH VELVET ELVIS PAINTINGS AND ROCKING WITH CLASSIC ELVIS TUNES. THEY EVEN CAME UP WITH SOME VARIATIONS ON THE ELVIS POMPADOUR — WHICH IS, LITERALLY, POPPING UP ALL OVER WILLIAMSBURG — AND HAS THE HIPSTERS “ALL SHOOK UP.” CORVETTE HUNT AND BETHANY PAUL!  — PLEASE STAND.

            WE KNOW BROOKLYN LOOKS LIKE THE WORLD — IT’S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN FIND NOT ONLY EVERY SINGLE ETHNICITY AND NATIONALITY — BUT EVERY COMBINATION UNDER THE SUN. JUST LOOK AT DALE HALL — A BROOKLYITE BY WAY OF THE GERMAN CITY OF COLOGNE — WHO FOLLOWED HIS ENTREPRENEURIAL DREAM AND LAST YEAR OPENED — IN FORT GREENE — WHAT HE PROUDLY CALLS —AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK-OWNED AUTHENTIC GERMAN BEER HALL! DALE HALL — PLEASE STAND  — PROST!

            AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, BROOKLYN WAS ONCE HOME TO SCORES OF KOSHER DELIS. MY FATHER, OF BLESSED MEMORY, WHOSE PROFESSION WAS A WAITER, WORKED AT ONE OF THEM, SID’S ON EMPIRE BOULEVARD, BACK IN THE LATE 40s, UNTIL HE PASSED AWAY IN 1954 — THESE DAYS ONLY A FEW REMAIN — ONE OF WHICH IS ADELMAN’S ON KINGS HIGHWAY. AND ITS STORY IS PURE BROOKLYN. ADELMAN’S  WAS OWNED BY JEWS — WHO THEN SOLD THE BUSINESS TO ITALIANS — WHO HIRED EGYPITAN-MUSLIM MOHAMED saLEM TO WORK AS A BUS-BOY.
           
WELL, TWENTY YEARS LATER — MOHAMMED TOOK THE reins — AND FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAS ENJOYED THE FULL BENEFITS OF OWNERSHIP — AND THE PASTRAMI NEVER TASTED THIS GOOD! A MULSIM OWNER OF A KOSHER DELI —THAT’S THE AMERICAN DREAM, BROOKLYN STYLE. PLEASE STAND, MOHAMMED.

             (AND NOW FOR THE WRAP-UP!)OUR GLOBAL CITY OFbrooklyn — (to paraphrase the hit song “empire state of mind” by alicia keys and brooklyn’s own jay-z) —  CAN INDEED BE A “CONCRETE JUNGLE WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE OF” — AND TOGETHER, AS WE WORK TO MAKE OUR DREAMS A REALITY — A BROOKLYN WITH EXCELLENT SCHOOLS, SAFE STREETS, SHOWPLACE PARKS, THRIVING NEIGHBORHOODS, CREATIVE ENERGY, AND GOOD JOBS TO CARRY US INTO A BRIGHT FUTURE — “there’s nothing we can’t do.”