July 28, 2015
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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
July 28, 2015
Contents Michael Gareth Johnson Executive Editor
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SPEAKING PLAINLY ABOUT GENTRIFICATION
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A photo essay highlighting the development along Brooklyn’s
Eric Adams on the biggest challenge in Brooklyn
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booming waterfront
BEING FRANK
How Frank Seddio’s style is changing the Brooklyn Democratic Party
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BROOKLYN LEFT BEHIND
A photo essay showing parts of the borough still ripe for development
By Jon Lentz
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EXPANSION ON THE EAST RIVER
HOLDING IT TOGETHER
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A SCHOOL’S REBIRTH
Nonprofits work to keep communities intact amid gentrification
New leadership is making big changes at Boys and Girls High School
By Jeff Stein from New York Nonprofit
By Patrick Wall from Chalkbeat New York
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Elected officials tell City & State the one thing they think will make the borough better
July 28, 2015
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VIEWS OF BROOKLYN
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Aerial shots by Nate Kim On-foot photogrphy by Dylan Forsberg and Arman Dzidzovic Art direction by Guillaume Federighi
BACK & FORTH
A Q&A with Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. CEO David Ehrenberg
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city & state — July 28, 2015
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or many, Brooklyn is a huge success story. An influx of businesses and wealthy young adults has helped spur the borough’s economy and reshape many neighborhoods—most would say for the better. But with that success has come problems. And when we asked all of the borough’s elected officials to tell us the one thing that would make Brooklyn better, the solution most prominently expressed was more affordable housing. Reading through the submissions from elected officials, you can easily see why Mayor Bill de Blasio—a Brooklyn resident—has made this issue front and center in his administration. But for many lawmakers it is not just about creating more units at a livable price—it’s about preserving communities and their unique identities. The rampant growth of the borough is displacing thousands of people from neighborhoods they have lived in for decades. Some lawmakers see property values skyrocketing. Others have seen a loss of culture that is difficult to put an accurate value on. It is clear from the breadth of the responses we received for this issue that striking a balance between growth and preservation is critical, and is where elected officials are concentrating much of their efforts. The magazine also features a candid look at Frank Seddio, the chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic County Committee, written by Senior Correspondent Jon Lentz. Seddio has played a key role in several recent political shake-ups, from having a hand in the elevation of Melissa Mark-Viverito to New York City Council speaker to playing a role in Carl Heastie’s election as Assembly speaker—but even before that, he was actively reshaping a Brooklyn machine that for decades was divisive and at times downright nasty under former chairman Vito Lopez. The piece explores Seddio’s role in changing the culture of the county party, while also addressing some critics’ concerns that the old machine politics are still at play. With Brooklyn a growing epicenter for political power, this story is a must-read. One final note to our readers—as you flip through the issue you will see that we have taken a lot of time to bring you scenes from around Brooklyn. Not just focusing on the landmarks that everyone knows, but highlighting the diversity of the borough, from the places where development is booming to the communities being left behind.
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Speaking Plainly About Gentrification By ERIC ADAMS
city & state — July 28, 2015
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O
ver 2.6 million people call Brooklyn home. There are just as many, if not more, opinions on gentrification and its impact on our borough’s future. As I travel from neighborhood to neighborhood, it is at the top of nearly everyone’s list of concerns. Yet, while I hear many of us talking about gentrification, it has been difficult to generate constructive dialogue, one where we honestly identify the issues at the core of our complaints as well as potential solutions to those challenges. With Brooklyn’s focus squarely on our affordable housing crisis—and the need for us on both an economic and a moral level to build and preserve tens of thousands of units for lowincome and working-class families— now is the time to speak plainly about gentrification and how we can combat its negative effects. In my estimation, there are four factors that exacerbate these effects, the first of which being the harassment of tenants by bad-acting landlords. I have begun holding a series of tenant harassment hearings around the borough, highlighting the predatory landlords that are playing games with the health and safety of their tenants. After our opening hearing at Brooklyn Borough Hall, our office had gone through an entire box of tissues from speaker after speaker pouring their eyes and hearts out, retelling their nightmares. Denying someone heat,
hot water, sanitation or other basic services is not a negotiation tactic; it’s a crime. Not only are we actively tracking potential criminal cases to direct to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson where we see actions are violating laws like criminal mischief, we are working with civil rights attorney Norman Siegel and legal advocates to pursue patterns of bad behavior that may lead to civil suits. Concurrently, legislators in Albany should revisit in the next session how to strengthen the penalties attached to these statutes. Leadership on the state level is needed to deter this behavior, keep tenants in the communities where they have lived for decades, and end the massive hemorrhaging of affordable housing units in Brooklyn. The second factor is the lack of integration of new arrivals into neighborhoods deemed to be gentrified or gentrifying. When many people speak about gentrification, they lament a loss of community in the abstract sense, the close-knit feeling of collaborative spirit. Community, especially in a place like Brooklyn, is not something we view as a luxury, but rather a necessity for a thriving, prosperous place that looks out for its own. Some new arrivals embrace that energy head-on, and they are to be lauded. Others have taken a more caustic approach, failing to practice what I call “Brooklyn
common courtesy.” We can foster and strengthen these bonds through activities like block parties, street fairs and sidewalk sales, which bring communities out to engage with one another. Highlighting common spaces like community gardens and parks, as well as building capacity for community-based organizations, are also great tools to fostering relationships and understanding. The third factor is a partner to the second, and that is the challenge that existing community residents face in dealing with what many believe to be “missed opportunities.” Back in the bad old days, long before neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Prospect Heights were deemed anything close to attractive, parents would tell their children to buy the home down the block, to invest in the community. Many chose to find opportunities elsewhere. As these neighborhoods experienced their renaissances, property values went from accessible to astronomical, making a return home difficult. Soon enough, we will see this same story play out in neighborhoods like Brownsville and East New York, areas where real estate values were once rock-bottom and are now rising at a staggering rate. There are strategies we need to explore to get existing residents to invest in their communities, creating opportunities for homeownership, such as the land bank program that has
turned around vacant and abandoned properties in other parts of New York state. Finally, the most basic fear we face around gentrification is the fear of change, or metathesiophobia, as it’s called scientifically. We must remember that the history of New York City is the history of change. East New York, which is now a heavily AfricanAmerican and Latino neighborhood, was once a Jewish and Italian bastion. Sunset Park grew up as an Irish, Polish and Scandinavian community, evolved into a hub for Latino immigration, and has recently evolved into one of the fastest-growing Chinatowns anywhere. Populations shift for a variety of reasons; the important thing is that no one is forced out or kept from coming into any community. We should not be shouting down twoand three-story affordable housing opportunities on one street, and then be standing idly by while five- and six-story storage facilities shoot up on a nearby avenue. Brooklyn belongs to every Brooklynite, newcomer and community cornerstone alike, and it is our shared responsibility to combat the affordability emergency at our doorstep as neighbors, hand in hand.
Eric Adams is the Brooklyn borough president.
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Meet the Hipsters
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Brooklyn is a diverse borough filled with people of various ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. But let’s not kid ourselves—pop culture likes to make it seem like the borough is just packed with a bunch of hipsters in their 20s or 30s. So we ran with the stereotype and hired nationally renowned artist Javier Muñoz to visualize what some of Brooklyn’s top politicians would look like if they were trying to fit in with the trendy crowd. cit yandstateny.com
city & state — July 28, 2015
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Under the Sea, By the Sea Photos by DYLAN FORSBERG
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Coney Island kicked off the summer on June 20 with the Mermaid Parade. The beloved annual celebration of costumes, color, mythology and silly hats is funded by the city Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. cit yandstateny.com
Everyone deserves to breathe clean, smoke-free air in their homes.
Smoke-free housing protects New Yorkers, especially children from secondhand smoke. For more information on going smoke-free, or to lend your support, visit SmokeFreeHousingNY.org.
We asked Brooklyn’s elected officials about their top spots to kick back with their peers and constituents—and the list we got went on and on. We couldn’t include all the spots, so here are the most popular places. If you’re not already a regular, it’s never too late to check them out for yourself. And while you’re there, make sure to take a look around. Who knows? You might spot someone you’ll recognize ...
Political Hangouts
city & state — July 28, 2015
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Peter Luger Steak House
178 Broadway 718-387-7400
Basil& Pizza Wine Bar
270 Kingston Ave. 718-285-8777
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Woodland
Junior’s
242 Flatbush Ave. 718-398-7700
386 Flatbush Ave. Ext. 718-852-5257
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it’s always been about
BEING THERE
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State Farm is proud to support City & State, because that is what being there is all about. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®
PHOTOS BY DYLAN FORSBERG
city & state — July 28, 2015
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HOW SEDDIO’S STYLE TRANSFORMED THE BROOKLYN DEMOCRATIC PARTY By JON LENTZ
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n a recent summer evening, scores of Democratic lawmakers, district leaders and rank-andfile party members gathered in a refurbished factory building not far from the Brooklyn Bridge. Frank Seddio, the 68-year-old leader of the Kings County Democrats, ambled into the building’s spacious hall, shaking hands, giving hugs, kissing cheeks. A pot-bellied man with a gap-toothed grin and a thick Brooklynese, Seddio looks every bit the part of an old-time political boss. But although Seddio is in many ways a throwback to a bygone era, he is taking the Brooklyn Democrats in a new direction. The meeting of the county committee was one of two scheduled for this year, compared with just one every other year under Vito
its chairman nearly three years ago: The at-large district leader positions that Lopez filled with loyalists? Eliminated. The selection of favored candidates for judgeships or special elections in smoke-filled back rooms? Opened up for debate. The old grudges and rivalries that marked the Lopez era? Done away with, thanks to a dedicated diplomatic mission to mend fences and reunify the party. “We all agreed on these reforms,” Seddio said. “People asked and we wanted to do it. There’s nothing that couldn’t be done. People wanted to see a copy of the financial report, we always make them for the meeting. People wanted to get an idea of what’s going on politically, we give them that update. It’s a good way to have people participate in government. It’s not just handled by some
Seddio’s first full year as party chairman, he and much of the Brooklyn delegation endorsed Bill Thompson, the former city comptroller who had been a deputy Brooklyn borough president and was regarded as a friend and ally. But another Brooklynite, Bill de Blasio, came from behind to win the primary and coasted to victory in the general election. With City Council Speaker Christine Quinn—who also fell short in the mayoral race—on her way out, a mad scramble to replace her ensued. Seddio joined Rep. Joseph Crowley, the leader of the Queens Democrats, and Assemblyman Carl Heastie, then the Bronx Democratic Party leader, to back Councilman Dan Garodnick’s bid for the speakership. Meanwhile, de Blasio launched an aggressive campaign
we had an opportunity to make a friend,” Seddio said. “And in my mind, that’s someone who’s now helping us when we want to advocate for different things we need in the borough, whether it be the West Indian Day on Eastern Parkway or issues within our various council members’ districts that have to be addressed that maybe one person wouldn’t have the strength to do by himself.” A few days after he was sworn in as mayor, de Blasio, evidently grateful, invited Seddio and Seddio’s law partner, Frank Carone, to join him for a dinner at Gracie Mansion. As they drove over, Seddio warned Carone that it might be hard to find parking near the mayor’s official residence. “And when we got there, and it was all wide open, we pulled in, and I said this isn’t going to be too
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Being Frank
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Lopez, Seddio’s predecessor. Among the attendees greeted warmly by Seddio was firstterm Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, a longtime reformer and Lopez foe who was marginalized by the party for years. And the feature presentation, given by four Brooklyn city councilmen, was a policy discussion on a subject not typically associated with old-fashioned county politics. “Tonight we’re going to be discussing participatory budgeting,” Seddio told me, settling into a seat in the audience. “We think it’s a good idea. We’re going to try to get all the council members to do it next year.” As the meeting got underway, Seddio described to me how the county committee has become more inclusive since he became cit yandstateny.com
inside, backroom meeting. That’s what we try to do—give everybody a chance to be a part.” It’s a positive spin on Seddio’s relatively brief tenure as leader, but he’s not the only one to offer such an assessment. Insiders and outsiders alike say he is transforming how politics is practiced in Brooklyn. But is the transformation one of substance or of style? Is Seddio truly reforming the county committee and loosening the party leader’s tight grip on its decisions and direction? And if he is, does that make the Brooklyn Democrats— and Seddio, for that matter—any more powerful? LAST YEAR’S ENEMY In
the
2013
mayoral
race,
for his preferred candidate, Councilwoman Melissa MarkViverito, and came to Brooklyn seeking support. Winning over the borough, which has the city’s largest council delegation, would be a coup. Seddio personally found Mark-Viverito to be an “interesting” candidate, despite a political philosophy different from his own. In the end he figured that he could benefit Brooklynites by allying himself with those who would control the city’s purse strings while also securing coveted council committee chairmanships. So he flipped, and all 16 Brooklyn council members got behind Mark-Viverito. The bloc was pivotal, doubling her total to 32 votes out of 51. “By doing what we did early on and uniting the county leadership,
many people,” Seddio said. “In the end it wasn’t. It was just us.” As they discussed the issues the new mayor would face, Seddio told de Blasio that the first thing he would have to do is bring the 2016 Democratic National Convention to Brooklyn. “He said, ‘That’s great! If we get it, I’ll give you the credit,’ ” recounted Seddio, who had worked on the 1976, 1980 and 1992 conventions that were hosted in the city. The de Blasio administration made an aggressive push, but lost the bid to Philadelphia. From Seddio’s point of view, the episode illustrates the wisdom of his bridge-building approach to politics. “Frankly, I never supported de Blasio for anything, but I always have a relationship,” he said. “I don’t believe in making
city & state — July 28, 2015
“In politics, if nothing else, this year’s friend could be next year’s enemy, and last year’s enemy could be this year’s friend.”
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enemies. Put things in the right perspective. Because in politics, if nothing else, this year’s friend could be next year’s enemy, and last year’s enemy could be this year’s friend.”
city & state — July 28, 2015
CANNOLI DIPLOMACY One such friend was Vito Lopez. Seddio served in a role one insider described as Lopez’s “consigliere,” although the two men were temperamental opposites. Where Seddio wants to be loved, Lopez wanted to be feared. As Brooklyn Democratic leader, Lopez brooked no dissent. Driven by vindictiveness, he sidelined those who crossed him or even questioned his decisions. Lopez consolidated his power through his nonprofit Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council and his chairmanship of the influential Assembly Housing Committee. Lopez had long been scrutinized for the lucrative
government contracts awarded to his nonprofit, which had been run by his girlfriend, but he had avoided legal trouble. Instead, his downfall was the result of shocking accusations of sexual harassment by young female aides. In August 2012, the Assembly censured Lopez and stripped him of his Housing Committee chairmanship after the body’s ethics committee found the allegations to be credible. Lopez quickly stepped down as Brooklyn’s Democratic leader, but tried in vain to hold on to his Assembly seat. Seddio, who soon emerged as the front-runner to replace Lopez as county chairman, joined the chorus of elected officials calling for Lopez to resign from the Assembly, despite their close ties. “The accusations by former staffers of Assemblyman Lopez in today’s papers are appalling,” Seddio said at the time. “If true, Vito has to resign from the Assembly.” A few weeks later, Seddio was
easily elected to lead the Brooklyn Democrats. Challenges from thenAssemblyman Karim Camara and Jo Anne Simon, a district leader at the time, fizzled out. Seddio was elected by most of the county’s 42 Democratic district leaders, with only then-Councilman Charles Barron and his wife, thenAssemblywoman Inez Barron, actually voting against him. The headlines were not kind. The Daily News called Seddio a “crony” of Lopez. The Post wrote that he was a “long-time Lopez toady” and a “pure product of the machine.” “That’s going to be Vito Lopez 2,” Charles Barron told the Daily News. Seddio set about proving he was different. He proposed opening executive board meetings to the press, holding more frequent county committee meetings and eliminating at-large district leaders. He revised the rules committee and made one of his challengers a co-chairwoman. And
he reached out to Lopez’s rivals, paid visits to reform clubs in brownstone Brooklyn and sought to unify the borough’s factions. “I called it cannoli diplomacy,” Seddio said. “I would bring a couple dozen cannolis and go to their meeting and come in and get a chance to talk. That never happened before. I’m not taking credit because I did it first. But it’s what I believed had to be done. When you put a face to the issue, it’s amazing how you can develop better relationships.” The overtures had an impact. The reform clubs that Lopez battled were pleasantly surprised to have a visit from Seddio, and have cautiously applauded the reforms he has implemented. Simon, a leader of the borough’s reform wing, said the Lopez era had grown so acrimonious that Seddio’s affability was a breath of fresh air. “People were allowed to talk to me for the first time in years,” said Simon, who was elected to cit yandstateny.com
THE BROOKLYN BOSS The last leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party to stake a legitimate claim to the title of cit yandstateny.com
“boss” was Meade Esposito, who ran a county organization that was genuinely a machine. Esposito, the party chairman from 1969 to 1983, exploited his considerable powers to their full extent. Presidential hopefuls and governors sought out his counsel and support. Brooklyn practically owned the Assembly speakership. Esposito’s Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club became the pre-eminent political club in Brooklyn, if not the entire city. Ed Koch may well have owed his 1977 mayoral victory over Mario Cuomo to Esposito, and certainly felt indebted to him. Early in Koch’s first term, the TJ Club boasted a membership that included the city schools chancellor, transportation commissioner, housing commissioner and the head of the ferry and aviation bureau. Candidates for the state Legislature, the City Council and district attorney posts came before Esposito to kiss the ring. After stepping down in 1983, Esposito remained a powerful figure for several years until he was convicted on a charge of bribing a Bronx congressman. Mob ties also came to light. Esposito’s empire imploded, and a succession of lesser leaders never picked up all the pieces. The post-Esposito era was marked by internecine wars and factions splintered along geographic, racial and ideological lines. One source of clout, the Board of Estimate, was essentially eliminated. Another, the Board of Education, was stripped away, its responsibilities ultimately consolidated within the mayoralty. Esposito’s immediate successor, Howard Golden, served as both borough president and county leader for a time, but Mayor Rudy Giuliani forced a change that barred anyone from holding the two titles simultaneously. That paved the way for the ascension of Clarence Norman in 1990, who did little more than maintain the weakened status quo. Norman was convicted of multiple corruption charges, including shaking down judicial candidates, and was succeeded in 2005 by Lopez. Lopez’s controlling approach did little to ease intra-party divisions, but he was at least able to parlay his Housing Committee chairmanship and his well-funded Senior Citizens Council into a personal fiefdom.
Seddio doesn’t hold a city or state elected office like Lopez, Norman and Golden did. While Esposito was a friend and patron of presidents, Seddio hasn’t even had a visit from Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic presidential candidate who has an official campaign headquarters in his borough. His institutional tools are increasingly limited. But what he does have, he says, is the hard-won experience of a halfcentury in politics. THE CANARSIE CONNECTION Seddio, a lifelong Canarsie resident, was growing up in the far-flung Brooklyn neighborhood just as Esposito was establishing it as a Democratic stronghold. Seddio’s grandfathers—one a carpenter, the other a seaman— were friends in Sicily, and in 1919 they had immigrated together to the United States. Each man settled in Canarsie, then a heavily Italian enclave, and raised their families. Seddio’s father grew up to be a
truck driver, but left his wife and six young children when Frank was 10. Seddio’s mother stayed home to raise the family, relying on welfare to keep her children fed and clothed. To help take care of his five younger siblings, Seddio got his first job at age 12 at a local grocery store, earning $5 a week. As a youth, Seddio displayed an enthusiasm for joining and participating in organizations. At age 13 he joined the Squires, a teen program run by the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic charitable organization that he remains active with. At 14, he planned a Squires event at a local catering hall, among the first of many such forays. “When I went in to try and book, the woman told me, you’re 14, you’re not allowed to,” Seddio said. “And I said, yeah? I’m the chairman.” Seddio also nurtured an early fascination with politics. “I used to tell my mother when I was 12, she was going to live with me in the West Wing of the White House,” Seddio recalled. “I didn’t get that far, but I’m not complaining.” A
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the Assembly last fall. “For Vito it was about power, absolute power, crushing opposition, or anybody who might become opposition. Frank, I believe, sees the power in the collective and in winning people’s hearts and minds as opposed to just fear.” “And he can tolerate a lack of unanimity of thought,” she added, “which was something Vito could not tolerate.” Others are taking a waitand-see approach. One of them is Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who had an openly antagonistic relationship with Lopez. Velazquez said that when Seddio reached out, she told him that he needed people like herself and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries—leaders of local, selfsustaining political networks— more than they needed the county organization. The Brooklyn Democratic Party was such a shell of its former self, she pointed out, that it was no longer playing a national role. Seddio recalled that during the conversation he was on the verge of giving up on a reconciliation. “Very frankly I was this close to saying go fuck yourself,” he recalled. But he heard her out, and says he now has a “wonderful relationship” with the congresswoman. “We’re not going to agree on everything,” he said. “This is my philosophy very simply: You have to respect the power that other people have and what their role is in the game you’re playing. If you don’t do that, you stand the chance of underestimating somebody if they’re an opponent, and worse, you can never heal a wound because it’s constantly open, an open sore.” Velazquez said she’s still watching and waiting. “A lot of people feel more comfortable with him,” she said. “I still have my issues, because I would like to see more reform implemented within the structure of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, but he has made every effort to make people feel welcome. And for the first time in 25 years, I made a contribution of $500. So I feel more confident, but the jury’s out there.”
family friend brought 18-year-old Frank to the local political club and introduced him to Frank Brasco, the local congressman and his political hero, and to Esposito. Over the years the club became like a second family. He found a mentor in Tony Genovesi, a trusted Esposito operative, who taught him firsthand the nuts and bolts of campaigning. Although Seddio didn’t get to know Esposito as well, many of his sayings stuck with him. “He used to say, if you’re being chased out of town by a mob, pick up the flag and make it look like you’re leading the parade,” Seddio said. “So if it looks like you’re going to lose what you’re doing, get on the other side and make it look like you’re running it. Believe it or not, I’ve used it quite a few times where it’s actually worked. We’ve snatched victory from defeat.” Seddio spent more than two decades as a New York City police officer, and his day job now is as a lawyer, but his true calling
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Following an exposé in the Daily News, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct launched an investigation in 2006 into whether Seddio had broken rules requiring him to return the funds to donors, and he stepped down in 2007. Seddio, a lawyer who specializes in wills and estates, is now on the receiving end, disposing of estates assigned to him by the borough’s surrogate’s courts, but he insists processes were put in place during his tenure to prevent abuse. “I made one mistake,” Seddio said. “I did give some money politically to two candidates, to Alan Maisel and to Carl Kruger, who was my senator. I subsequently got the money back and they redeposited it. I gave $90,000 to charity. The Daily News made such a big fuss ... they made it a scandal. Could you imagine the nerve? I didn’t go out and buy a car. I didn’t go out to big dinners. I gave the money to charitable groups in my district. In my district!”
is convinced. “It’s just more related to who you know and the network that exists out there,” Velazquez said. “I would like to have a process of people coming before a judicial committee that is comprised of former judges and lawyers to review and evaluate candidates— on their merits.” Josh Skaller, a district leader from Brooklyn’s reform wing, said that the judicial selection process is where “the rubber really hits the road.” “Frank’s test is always going to be whether or not we’re getting the best judges possible for Brooklyn,” he said. “We’re still feeling our way through this right now. Post-Vito, it’s Frank’s county for sure now, but that’s still taking shape.” Andrew Sloat, the president of the New Kings Democrats, a progressive Brooklyn club launched in opposition to Lopez, credited Seddio for partly opening up the last round of judicial picks, even though Supreme Court
“So if it looks like you’re going to lose what you’re doing, get on the other side and make it look like you’re running it.” was always in the public sphere. He founded and ran community groups, helped get the West Indian Carnival started in 1969, and was both district manager and chairman on the local community board. He served seven years in the Assembly, stepping down for a short-lived stint as a judge. “One thing you can say about Frank,” joked City Councilman Alan Maisel, one of Seddio’s oldest political friends, “is he can’t hold on to a job.” In 2010, he was elected district leader and took over as head of Esposito’s old Thomas Jefferson Club, a stepping stone to the leadership of the Brooklyn Democrats. CLUBHOUSE POLITICS
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panel walls are reminders of past campaigns, with signs for John Sampson and Roxanne Persaud alongside old Bernard Catcher and Herbert Berman posters. On a bare brick wall in the back is a shrine of paintings honoring the club’s founding fathers: Esposito, Genovesi and Stanley Fink, the former Assembly speaker. Seddio arrived shortly before 10 p.m. A meeting with state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had run late. “I was just stuck. The guy, he wouldn’t shut up, for crying out loud,” Seddio said with a grin. “You’d think he wanted to run for governor or something!” The only item of business was a rare challenge in the upcoming judicial elections. Civil Court Judge Michael Gerstein, Seddio said, needed volunteers to help winnow the 6,000 or so petitions submitted by a challenger down to 1,500. If enough signatures were from outside the district or from people who weren’t registered to vote, there would be a basis for
The Thomas Jefferson Club sits a few blocks from the last stop on the L line in Canarsie. On a Thursday night this month, a crowd of club members chatted and milled about inside the clubhouse while awaiting Seddio’s arrival. Covering the green
a challenge that could toss the opponent off the ballot. Indeed, judgeships are one of the significant levers of power still available to county leaders, and one of few remaining sources of patronage. Esposito once claimed that he “made” 42 judges. Lopez had boasted that county-backed candidates had won nine of 10 contested judge races on his watch. In some cases, the process has descended into outright corruption. The poster boy for judicial misconduct is Michael Feinberg, a Brooklyn Surrogate’s Court judge removed from office in 2005 for awarding excessive fees to a friend for handling estates. With a reformer, Margarita Lopez Torres, replacing him, Brooklyn successfully lobbied Albany to create a second surrogate’s court in the borough. At the last minute, the party plucked Seddio from the Assembly to fill the new role. But Seddio got tripped up for sending thousands of dollars from his leftover campaign funds to the Thomas Jefferson Club and to friends in the Legislature.
Another telling example was the Brooklyn Democratic County Committee’s support for Lara Genovesi’s bid for Civil Court judge in 2012. What raised eyebrows was that Genovesi was the daughter of Seddio’s mentor and a former general counsel of the Thomas Jefferson Club. Another judge had resigned shortly before the deadline to submit petitions, and Genovesi was ready to start collecting petitions the very same day. She also secured The New York Times’ endorsement but lost the primary, although earlier this year she was sworn in as a state Supreme Court judge. In fact, the party has even more control over selecting Supreme Court judges than it does over Civil Court and surrogate’s court judges. In lieu of a primary, the county executive committee members make the Supreme Court selections, behind closed doors. Seddio claims the party has a strong vetting process for anyone who wants to run, and that it’s up to the district leaders, not him, to make the picks. But not everyone
selections were still made in executive session. “It was a huge turning point, because they ended up bringing part of that conversation back out into the public session, which felt like at the very least a goodfaith gesture toward in the future making sure they understand how important this part of the process is,” Sloat said. “I understand that there’s some wheeling and dealing that happens in that room. That said, it’s problematic to us when anything that has to do with electoral politics happens behind closed doors, where there’s no opportunity for anyone to observe and report on what’s happening there.” Seddio insists that his goal is simply to elect good judges, but some insiders worry that for all his reforms, he still fundamentally believes in the old machine way of doing things. At the clubhouse meeting, after Judge Gerstein took a few moments to thank the crowd, Seddio started up again. If anyone knows any young lawyers, he said, there are some job opportunities cit yandstateny.com
available. “That’s what we’re supposed to do: help each other,” Seddio said. “By you helping me, I’m able to help you. It’s that simple. You empower me to be able to go in to people and say listen, we need something, try and solve this problem. You give me that power. It’s not unnoticed.” A few weeks later, he explained to me his approach to selecting judges. “I think if you come into the political world and you’re a participant in it, and you work hard, and you’re working through your political organization and the club that you might be a part of, and that organization wants to recommend you as a candidate, that you should, in my mind, everything being equal, be considered over someone who just showed up and said, ‘Oh, I want to be a judge tomorrow,’ ” Seddio said. “So tell me what you did? ‘Well, I went out and earned a lot of money,’ or, ‘I’ve been doing this.’ I’m talking about people who worked hard and have been a part of our process.”
federal fraud charges, although to be fair the largely Staten Island congressional district includes only a small portion of Brooklyn. And in 2013, Seddio, ever the organization man, backed the incumbent district attorney, Charles Hynes, only getting behind eventual winner Kenneth Thompson after his insurgent victory over Hynes in the primary. But despite those disappointments, today Seddio is on good terms with both de Blasio and Mark-Viverito. Brooklyn Councilman Brad Lander is one of the speaker’s top advisers and strategists, while another Brooklynite, Councilman David Greenfield, chairs the key Land Use Committee. Gov. Andrew Cuomo came to the Brooklyn Democrats’ latest annual dinner. And Seddio has patched things up with Heastie, whom he supported for the Assembly speakership. On the other hand, the state Senate Democratic leader—a post once held by John Sampson, a
longtime Seddio ally—now isn’t even a New York City resident. Before Sampson’s corruption trial ended in a conviction last week, Seddio had been perhaps his most stalwart supporter. Seddio even ran the re-election campaign for Sampson, his local state senator and a fellow member of the Thomas Jefferson Club. Although Sampson was under indictment on charges including embezzling and threatening a witness, Seddio insisted that he should be treated as innocent at least until a verdict at trial. Seddio had also taken flak when he stood by Carl Kruger, another senator dogged by corruption allegations who was eventually convicted. But to Seddio’s mind, the dishonorable thing would be to abandon an old friend. Before the trial began, he called Sampson to wish him good luck. “I’m an old-fashioned guy,” Seddio said. “I believe in loyalty.” Others were quick to abandon Sampson. The state Senate Democrats, who had expelled Sampson from their conference,
joined with the Working Families Party to support a primary challenger. “Well, their candidate got 30 percent of the vote, we got 54,” Seddio said. “That says it all, when I talk about running campaigns. If I’m going to boast about anything, it’s that there aren’t too many people around this county or the city that can run a campaign better than I can. I grew up doing it. I’ve been doing it my whole life. I can do it in my dreams.” And as for ceding control and sharing power with the other district leaders and party members, Seddio insisted it only strengthens his hand. “I think that’s the difference between Vito and I,” he said. “I’m not looking to cross swords with people. I’m looking to share bread. And that’s work.” “Now it’s easy enough to make problems,” Seddio concluded. “It’s harder to solve problems. And that’s my role every day. I don’t feel less empowered. I have the ability to make things happen for people.”
THE CAMPAIGN MANAGER
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At the end of the day, Seddio’s gauge of success is winning elections. Of course, Brooklyn’s overwhelming Democratic majority means that most elected officials have no trouble staying in office. The real tests are in citywide and statewide races, primary battles and the few swing districts in the general election. Special elections are typically cakewalks, as the county committee hand-picks a Democratic nominee who typically runs uncontested or has token Republican opposition. But in a humiliating special election loss this spring, nobody secured the Democratic nomination for Karim Camara’s open Assembly seat. Guillermo Philpotts, a perennial candidate and outsider, outmaneuvered the local district leaders for the Democratic nomination. Philpotts then failed to submit the proper paperwork, and the Working Families Party’s Diana Richardson went on to win. “They didn’t win, we lost,” Seddio said. “Our people didn’t do their job.” Last fall, the Brooklyn Democrats failed to oust state Sen. Martin Golden, a Republican long targeted by the party. Nor could they knock off Rep. Michael Grimm, despite an indictment on
DYLAN FORSBEG
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NY’s Largest Nurses Union Asks Albany to Push for Support on Vital Healthcare Issues Affecting NY Patients Support Safe Staffing Ratios, Universal Healthcare Program and Ending Healthcare Disparities NYSNA nurses are strongly supporting the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, a bill that would set safe minimum nurse staffing levels in all New York hospitals. This legislation has been supported by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and other labor, community and patient advocate groups. However, multi-million dollar lobby groups such as the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) and the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) have strongly opposed this legislation. NYSNA calls for the immediate passage of the New York Health Act, which would create a state-wide universal healthcare program. It would provide comprehensive health coverage for all New Yorkers with full choices of doctors and other providers. The program would be publicly funded based on ability to pay and would eliminate the “local share” of Medicaid, saving local governments billions of dollars. Since 2004, several states have pursued legislation addressing safe-staffing concerns in nursing. As of last December, many states have either enacted legislation or adopted regulations addressing nurse staffing ratios. Seven states have required hospitals to have staffing committees responsible for plans and staffing policy (CT, IL, NV, OH, OR, TX, WA). However, California is the only state that stipulates that a required minimum nurse-to-patient ratio to be maintained at all times by unit. While some critics of safer staffing ratios claim that mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios burden hospitals with higher operational costs, research shows that safe staffing is, actually, more costeffective. Safe staffing improves nurse performance and patient-mortality rates, reduces turnover rates, staffing costs and liability.
Listen to New York nurses tell their stories: “Right now, in our state, nurses in some facilities are being forced to care for 10, 15, even 20 patients at once. That’s dangerous! Lives are placed in jeopardy when there are not enough nurses at the bedside,” said Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, a registered nurse at Montefiore Medical Center and NYSNA President. “That’s why we’re fighting for safe staffing ratios in all of our hospitals. We have no choice -- our patients’ lives depend on it!” “Putting lives at risk by forcing nurses to take care of additional patients to increase the bottom line is not appropriate,” said Julisa Saud, an RN at Elmhurst Hospital in New York City. “Standards of care are needed, and that’s why I support the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act. It is legislation that will save lives and allow New Yorkers to hold hospitals accountable for the care they provide.” "The staffing problem in our hospitals has gotten worse lately," said Kathy Santoiemma, an RN who works at Montefiore Medical Center’s New Rochelle Hospital. "The hospital practice of understaffing is almost a daily problem for us and it must be addressed." “There’s a public health crisis rooted in the costs of insurance. That’s why state lawmakers need to pass New York Health, for the sake of our patients, their families and communities across the state,” said Marva Wade, a RN at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and a member of NYSNA’s Board of Directors. “Because of the rising cost of health insurance and rising copayments and deductibles, growing numbers of New Yorkers are prevented from receiving needed health care. We must put in place a healthcare system that gives priority to patient need.” “Our patients deserve a nurse at their bedside to care to their healthcare needs, and right now… there just aren’t enough nurses to provide the care that they so desperately need,” said Michael Healy, a 13-year critical care ICU RN at St. Charles Hospital on Long Island. “New York state needs a safe staffing law that will ensure that all hospitals – from Buffalo to Brooklyn – have safe nurse-to-patient ratios that not only will protect us, but will protect our patients.” “In study after study, unsafe staffing levels lead to worse health outcomes, including shock, cardiac arrest, and hospital-acquired pneumonia," said Martha Wilcox, an RN at Sullivan County Public Health. "We know that a safe and reliable healthcare system of the future cannot be created unless we empower our frontline providers of care, and give them what they need to get the job done. We need hospital management to take safe staffing seriously."
Holding It Together
NONPROFITS SEEK TO KEEP COMMUNITIES INTACT AMID RAMPANT GENTRIFICATION By JEFF STEIN from NEW YORK NONPROFIT
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KAREN SMUL
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he hipster takeover of Brooklyn continues to run its course. Williamsburg and Bushwick, once lower- and middleclass neighborhoods, are now home to posh boutiques and exclusive lofts. Even the storied “creative class” is said to have had enough of the rising costs and changing atmosphere: Reports of L-train exoduses to Los Angeles and Detroit abound. And amid the unchecked gentrification, long-established ethnic enclaves are struggling to keep their communities intact, their housing affordable and employment opportunities readily accessible. It is on these critical and contentious fronts that Brooklyn nonprofit, advocacy and community organizing groups have focused their attention, raising concerns on behalf of immigrant constituencies. Jose Lopez, a lead organizer for Make The Road New York, a Latino community organizing nonprofit that is particularly active in Bushwick and Williamsburg, says many advocates view these issues as personal battles. “My family has been in Brooklyn since 1959, and in Bushwick since 1991,” Lopez said. “It’s our families’ blood, sweat and tears that built these communities.” Despite that long tradition, advocates say tenants are facing an alarming rise in housing issues, including aggressive harassment from landlords, as affordable units become increasingly scarce and market rates continue to skyrocket. Lopez described the April indictment of two Bushwick landlords, Joel and Aaron Israel, who were accused of intentionally destroying tenants’ apartments and depriving them of basic services in acts of intimidation, as just the tip of the iceberg.
Make The Road New York members march in support of immigrant tenants’ rights.
“In terms of harassment, it is getting real in Bushwick,” Lopez said. “Community members are coming to us regularly with stories of landlords banging on doors early in the morning, turning off utilities and offering outrageous buyouts.” Lopez says some of the most important work Make The Road New York does is in the parts of Brooklyn that are just now experiencing the first waves of gentrification. “We have to be on the ground in these neighborhoods to make sure that tenants are part of the conversation as these neighborhoods are rezoned,” Lopez said. “Bringing community members to the table with landlords is the only way to ensure that the process is equitable.” Without such community engagement, advocates say, the conflicts among community members,
landlords and the city government will only escalate further. Sarita Daftary-Steel, program director for El Puente’s Green Light District Project, a South Williamsburg organization that seeks to preserve communities through education, advocacy and cultural events, cites the ongoing Broadway Triangle rezoning struggle as an example of dramatic community action taken on behalf of Brooklyn minority groups. The conflict centers on a 1,851unit development that straddles a highly segregated border between Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant, the developers of which have been accused of catering to predominantly white residents and “functionally excluding” minorities. Housing advocates organizing on behalf of the area’s black and Latino residents say the development
is neglecting to serve minorities in neighboring Community Board 3 by giving preference to the residents of Community Board 1, which is predominantly white and has a sizable Orthodox Jewish community. These advocates also say the proposal’s disproportionate number of multibedroom apartments create another burden for minority populations. “This is a coalition of over 40 nonprofit organizations coming together in defense of the Fair Housing Act,” Daftary-Steel said, highlighting the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition’s recent campaign to urge the de Blasio administration to extend an injunction that prohibited the development. Some of those involved with the proposal, however, dispute the coalition’s claims that the project unfairly excludes minority residents. cit yandstateny.com
of fair housing litigation, presents an extraordinary opportunity for the de Blasio administration to put into action its ambitious and much-touted affordable housing plan.” But advocates say that impassioned local housing battles—and citywide fights over maintaining affordable units—are only a part of the work that needs to be done in order to preserve immigrant communities. Leah Hebert, chief program officer of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow, which enrolls over 800 people each year in adult education and literacy programs and serves over 4,500 youth and adults in Sunset Park, Bushwick and East Williamsburg, stresses the importance of education services in protecting against the effects of gentrification. “Gentrification has pushed out jobs that many immigrants and lower-income community members would have had access to,” Hebert said. “As a result, one of the biggest shifts that we’ve seen is the demand for high school equivalency. So many employers have shifted the skills and education that they require for an entry-level position.” Hebert says this effort is no small
task, citing census data showing that 41 percent of Mexican-Americans between ages 16 and 19 in New York City have dropped out of school. Hebert says this systemic lack of formal education, paired with a recent $2.8 million in cuts to the New York City Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program—which funds high school equivalency and English classes like those offered by Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow—has hit minority communities hard in places like Bushwick and Sunset Park, where there are the dense clusters of Mexican-Americans. “Many people who want to gain access to job opportunities do not have the money or time to travel across the city for a class,” Herbert said. “People are often working multiple jobs on top of their commitments to their families. We need to make sure that these classes are provided within their own communities.” Hebert also explains that education services can be vital for immigrants as they navigate Brooklyn’s evolving housing environment. “We find that some landlords will illegally target immigrants who do not speak English, exploiting their lack of
education to force them out of housing or commit unlawful activity,” Hebert said. As a result, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow has partnered with organizations such as Churches United for Fair Housing to combine literacy classes with informational sessions in English and Spanish, making sure that immigrants—both legal and illegal— know their rights and how to apply for affordable housing. Daftary-Steel agrees education is crucial to help immigrants find and remain in affordable housing. Green Light District’s outreach efforts include an initiative to share information about subsidies offered by the state Energy Research and Development Authority that incentivize tenants to carry out energy-efficiency renovations. “Access to these sorts of subsidies can help a low-income family reduce their energy costs and remain in their home,” Daftary-Steel said. However, Daftary-Steel concedes that work on behalf of these communities is still an uphill battle. “Gentrification is a strong wave, and despite the strength of our organizations, a lot of people will continue to be displaced,” she said.
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“It all depends on which foot the shoe is on,” said Rabbi David Niederman, executive director of the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn, whose organization worked with the city on the development proposal. “Other groups are trying to dilute the chances of Jewish families getting access to affordable apartments by trying to include another large community board in the development.” “All communities in CB1 and CB3 are suffering from gentrification equally,” Niederman added. But advocates say that any local affordable housing must be overtly and intentionally accessible to minorities, and the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition has legal support from the New York Civil Liberties Union and Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A. The coalition has also held a number of rallies in an attempt to mobilize local support. “The Broadway Triangle Urban Renewal Area is the largest plot of vacant land available for affordable housing in Brooklyn,” the coalition said in a statement. “Fixing this discriminatory rezoning, the subject of a preliminary injunction and years
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Brooklyn’s burgeoning waterfront
East River State Park, where river-lapped rocks give way to gravel, grass and the more manicured lawns of high-rises, is where north Brooklyn’s boom began, according to Assemblyman Joseph Lentol. For years, Lentol said he and constituents fought to shutter a waste transfer station, fend off a proposed power plant down the block and curtail environmentally damaging industries in an area once zoned to protect them. The state bought the land in 2001 and opened the green space in 2007. A 2005 rezoning ushered in tower after tower along a historically industrial waterfront. Williamsburg and the surrounding waterfront has since become a luxury housing hub, where developers face communities concerned by gentrification and vistaimpeding projects. Here’s a look at what developments stand to further alter the shoreline: PHOTOGRAPHS: ARMAN DZIDZOVIC
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The stout brick factory and its marquee will soon be surrounded by some 2,200 homes, offices, shops, a community facility and a park, per a city agreement inked last spring. Lentol praised the 700 affordable housing units included, but called its commercial space a “godsend for the entrepreneurial types who can’t find a place to ply their craft.”
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GREENPOINT LANDING, GREENPOINT A series of towers will be cropping up along a half-mile stretch of the East River as part of the mammoth Greenpoint Landing project. Of the roughly 5,500 homes slated for the waterfront, 1,400 will be affordable, with developers breaking ground first on three wholly affordable buildings that have been criticized by some for segregating lower-income residents. The brains behind the High Line have been tapped to design a waterfront greenway—and the deal also comes with a 640-seat school.
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416-420 KENT AVE., SOUTH WILLIAMSBURG
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Although the firm developing the site—led by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer—has received plenty of attention, three towers featuring 856 rental units and two rooftop pools are expected to alter the skyline. The development is slated to receive a 421-a property tax abatement because the plan calls for 172 affordable homes.
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PIER 1, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS Developers are set to put the finishing touches on a complex rising on the northern end of the park, per a recent court decision. Local activists had unsuccessfully challenged the hotel and condominium project because one of its buildings included mechanical equipment that rose above a 100-foot height limit written into the 2006 general project plan, which outlines how private development will finance the public green space.
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PIER 6, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS After another round of legal wrangling, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation agreed to a settlement opening the path for the construction of nearly 340 homes—including affordable housing—a universal pre-K site and community space. Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon said the private development will provide a long-sought park in the area. She joked that lawsuits should not be the gatekeeper to development, but she hopes public feedback is incorporated on problematic issues. cit yandstateny.com
BROOKLYN ARMY TERMINAL, SUNSET PARK Since it acquired this vast military depot in 1981, the city has been gradually renovating the campus into more than 3 million square feet of work space. The office, commercial, research and manufacturing tenants have the waterfront humming again. But the city Economic Development Corporation plans to embark on another round of retrofits—this time reopening another 500,000 square feet of space, with an eye on luring more light industrial businesses and jobs to the shore.
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Since 2011, the government has put $72 million into outfitting the 88-acre terminal to handle a range of cargoes and has put $22 million toward improving rail routes there. The city Economic Development Corporation plans to issue formal requests for long-term maritime tenants. Meanwhile officials have been touting the facility’s new designation as a link on the American Marine Highway, with Borough President Eric Adams dubbing it a “‘Back to the Future’ moment” for Brooklyn.
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SOUTH BROOKLYN MARINE TERMINAL, SUNSET PARK
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The Brooklyn Left Behind
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The rapid gentrification of Brooklyn has meant radical transformation in some neighborhoods, but many parts are still ripe for development. Here are a few such sites, some of which encapsulate the struggle between advocates and developers as the city tries to address its affordable housing crisis. AERIAL SHOTS: NATE KIM
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BUSHWICK INLET In 2005, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg promised residents of the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods to turn the Bushwick Inlet along the East River into a park as part of a rezoning plan. But while a smaller park of the same name has been built on nearby land to the southeast, the city has yet to make moves on the five privately owned parcels stretching north over 28 acres from the park to the Bushwick Inlet itself. In February a massive fire swept through a CitiStorage warehouse on 10 waterfront acres originally planned to hold the park’s youth athletic field. In the spring, it was reported that two investment firms had signed a contract to acquire the site. While it isn’t clear what they might be paying, CitiStorage’s owner has reportedly received offers of over $250 million. While Mayor Bill de Blasio is said to support a plan where a developer purchases the land and turns a portion into parkland, activists and City Councilman Stephen Levin are demanding that the entire area be turned into parkland as originally promised.
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While the Marcy Houses in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood is home to an abandoned police station, the public housing project does not have a single community center for residents. This spring, City Councilman Robert Cornegy began talks with the city Housing Authority with an eye to converting said police station into a place where Marcy’s youth and seniors could gather, but as of yet no capital funding has been allocated.
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EMPTY POLICE STATION, MARCY HOUSES, BEDFORD-STUYVESANT
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EAST NEW YORK The East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn is at the forefront of the de Blasio administration’s affordable housing plans, meaning the neighborhood is slated to see redevelopment on an ambitious scale. One such site is the former Blue Ridge Farms food-processing plant at 3301 Atlantic Ave., which has been acquired by nonprofit affordable developer Phipps Houses as part of the mayor’s plan. City Councilman Rafael Espinal hopes to see a city-owned site adjacent to the property turned into a space that can serve the neighborhood, potentially as a community center or fresh food depot. cit yandstateny.com
RHEINGOLD BREWERY SITE, BUSHWICK
GREENPOINT HOSPITAL SITE, EAST WILLIAMSBURG The former hospital building on this city-owned site in East Williamsburg has been vacant since 1982. About five years ago, the city solicited developers to build an affordable housing development on the site, part of a larger campus including a men’s shelter and the offices of nonprofit developer St. Nicks Alliance. But in 2012 the chosen developer was indicted on bribery charges and the project failed to move forward. Today, the building remains vacant and while a coalition of neighborhood organizations called the Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation has a plan for the site, the city has yet to make a commitment to move on it. cit yandstateny.com
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The site of the former Rheingold Brewery was to be turned into a multi-tower residential complex in Bushwick with 30 percent of its nearly 1,000 units to be set aside for affordable housing. But the 2013 agreement with the city was nonbinding, and last year the original developer, Read Property Group, sold part of the project to Simon Dushinsky of Rabsky Group, who hasn’t said whether he plans to honor the affordability terms of the original plan. While Rabsky Group has submitted plans for a 398-unit apartment building on the site, community members and officials say Dushinsky has avoided all attempts to meet to discuss the possible inclusion of affordable units.
A High School’s ‘Rebirth’
TROUBLED SCHOOL’S NEW LEADER HAS MADE BIG CHANGES
New York city Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at the Boys and Girls graduation.
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fter a turbulent year at Boys and Girls High School marked by a high-profile leadership change and intense official scrutiny, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told this year’s graduates that their accomplishment represented a “rebirth” for one of the city’s most troubled schools. Ninety-three Boys and Girls students graduated last month, double the number expected to earn diplomas at the start of the year, de Blasio said. But even as he celebrated their accomplishments and commended the school’s new principal, Michael Wiltshire, urgent questions hung over the school, including whether it could reverse its steadily declining enrollment and how it will continue to raise its strikingly low graduation rate. “I want you to know the eyes of the city are on you,” de Blasio said at the graduation ceremony. As if to prove his point, two opposing education advocacy groups sent out dueling statements after de Blasio’s speech, praising and condemning the city’s efforts to rehabilitate the school. After the school’s outspoken
Wiltshire encouraged about 30 students who were significantly behind academically to transfer to schools designed to help them catch up. (The school shed nearly 100 students this year, with its enrollment falling from an adjusted 580 students in October to 487 by graduation, officials said.) Some students and staffers said those transferred students could not have graduated without the help of an alternative program, but others said struggling students were urged to leave even if they could have caught up at Boys and Girls with extra help. Sherrie Velez said a staffer called her after Wiltshire’s arrival and urged her to sign off on a transfer for her son, David Lewis, who was 20 years old and needed to pass several Regents exams this year to graduate. She declined and he remained at Boys and Girls, where he got tutoring and was able to earn a less rigorous “local” diploma, she said. (The state has eliminated the local diploma option for students who entered high school more recently.) “If you fought back, they couldn’t push your child out,” she said after the ceremony. Wiltshire and an Education Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for a comment on the incident. However, Assistant Principal Andrea Toussaint said that, in general, students who were encouraged to transfer were sent to programs where “they got exactly what they needed.” She cited one student who transferred to an alternative program where he was able to graduate and secure a full scholarship to a community college. The administration also apparently went to great lengths to help students graduate. Two staff members said they were told students had until June 24—
the day before graduation, and after teachers had entered final grades—to make up work in order to pass classes they were in danger of failing. Other questions loom over the coming year, such as whether the school will be able to attract enough new students to stay afloat, a major challenge for a school whose enrollment plummeted from 2,300 in 2010 to under 500. Officials said applications are up, with 154 students applying this year compared with 97 last year. But a teacher said only 65 freshmen had enrolled by the end of the school year. After the mayor spoke at Boys and Girls’ graduation ceremony, valedictorian Salomon Djakpa gave his speech. After arriving in the U.S. from Senegal his freshman year, Salomon went on to earn a 94.29 grade-point average, to play varsity soccer and volleyball, and finally to win a full scholarship to Cornell University. “My family and I migrated to the United States approximately four years ago in search of a dream,” he told the audience. “I took with me the shirt on my back, the fire in my belly.”
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principal left in October after clashing with the city over its improvement plan for the school, Wiltshire agreed to take over. The city wooed him with a bonus and a new title that let him keep oversight of the high-performing Brooklyn high school he’s run for many years, Medgar Evers College Preparatory School. He faced a formidable challenge at Boys and Girls. The school had a 42 percent graduation rate last year—26 points below the city average and 10 points under the average of schools in de Blasio’s “Renewal” improvement program, which includes Boys and Girls. It had gone so long without making gains or enacting a turnaround plan that it was one of just two schools last year to earn the state’s “out of time” label, forcing the city to make drastic changes that included requiring all staffers to reapply for their jobs. Wiltshire moved quickly. He added an extra period to the school day so students could take more classes, and hired Kaplan Inc. to offer test preparation courses. Since Boys and Girls offered few advanced classes, he let top students take classes at Medgar Evers (“I was not with you for most of my senior year—I was at Medgar,” salutatorian Oliver Gaussaint said in his speech). Wiltshire also raised expectations for the student body, telling athletes they had to “pass to play” and ordering struggling students to attend tutoring, several graduates said after the ceremony. “He made us strive harder,” said graduate Gail Romain, who added that Wiltshire’s higher expectations also rubbed off on teachers. “The approach everyone had toward us was different. Everyone strived harder for us to be the best we can be more than they normally did.”
NEW YORK CITY MAYOR’S OFFICE
By PATRICK WALL from CHALKBEAT NEW YORK
Michael Wiltshire is the principal of Boys and Girls High School.
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DYLAN FORSBEG
city & state — July 28, 2015
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city & state — July 28, 2015
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The WORK AND SAVE Plan: A Turnkey Solution for New York’s Small Businesses.
Are you a business owner who would like to offer your employees a way to save for their future but fear doing so would be too costly or too complicated to administer? AARP New York has a solution, and wants to work with you to make it a reality. A “Work and Save” plan is a state-facilitated retirement savings option that would provide businesses with a turnkey solution to offer their employees. It would give your business a competitive edge in the marketplace and help with employee recruitment and retention. Small businesses are the backbone of New York’s economy, and we would love to hear from you. Your voice will be critical to our efforts.
Please take a moment to visit the link below to answer a few questions about retirement savings: action.aarp.org/NYWorkandSave
Paid for by AARP
From its boutique shops to its trendy restaurants, to its big development projects, most elected officials from Brooklyn agree that the borough is booming. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. We reached out to all the elected officials in the borough—City Council members, Assembly members and state senators—to ask them to tell us the one thing they felt would make the borough better. We received responses from 21 elected officials addressing a wide range of topics—with affordable housing and transportation topping the list of issues that are keeping lawmakers busy. Read on to see what they had to say. cit yandstateny.com
city & state — July 28, 2015
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Affordable Housing
city & state — July 28, 2015
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RODNEYSE BICHOTTE Assemblywoman 42nd District Democrat
Affordable housing has remained an ongoing crisis for Brooklynites, as they see their once-affordable neighborhoods disappearing. The current popularity of Brooklyn in New York City has long-term residents now competing for housing. My district is extremely diverse. It includes African-American, Caribbean, European, Jewish, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Latino and Asian residents. What I see in Flatbush and throughout the district is that many seniors who had hoped to live out their lives comfortably in Brooklyn are now at risk of becoming homeless. They and other longtime tenants are being outspent by new people coming in and have become the targets of landlords. According to Ingrid Gould Ellen, director of the Urban Planning Program at NYU Wagner, “We need to preserve the diversity and vitality that makes New York what it is, and I’m worried that esca-
lating housing costs are threatening that very vitality and diversity.” One way to increase the affordable housing stock in Brooklyn is through expanding the Tenant Protection Unit, which audits unscrupulous landlords who try to abuse the system to drive prices higher. The Tenant Protection Unit was established by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to ensure compliance with expanded rent regulation laws and to protect tenants of rent-regulated units by identifying landlord fraud and harassment. But there are too many apartments to keep track of with so few auditors. As a result, the rate of rent destabilization is rapidly increasing. What is needed to address this crisis is at least twofold: 1) Funding for educational resources and tenant advocates needs to be increased to ensure tenants know their rights, and 2) efforts must be made by the city government to
build additional affordable housing. As the Flatbush Junction continues to get a new “face,” the area is now filled with big restaurant chains and retail stores such as Dallas BBQ, Starbucks, Target and Nike. Brooklyn College is also building a major addition to its performing arts center. This busy hub in Brooklyn has contributed to a rise in property taxes and housing prices. As the mayor lays out his plans for affordable housing, Flatbush should be a target as it has among the highest rates of destabilization in Brooklyn. Efforts made by state and city government to protect tenants and to increase affordable housing in New York City will help ensure that low- and middle-income residents can continue to live in Brooklyn and the diversity of Brooklyn is maintained.
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YVETTE CLARKE Congresswoman 9th District Democrat
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families to be displaced or community bonds to deteriorate. Affordable housing is not a luxury or privilege, but a right that we all deserve. Communities of color in particular continue to be denied their fair share, as the cost of living outpaces wages and salaries, and reasonably priced housing stock is increasingly scarce—products of gentrification. New Yorkers should not be uprooted from their homes. We must endeavor to end the tale of two cities, because we are one city!
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LAURIE CUMBO
Brooklyn is incredible, because of its sense of community and neighborhood. The borough is home to thousands of families, many of whom have lived here for generations. But what makes Brooklyn Brooklyn is slowly being eroded. We are an incredible place, because children and families have laid long-standing roots. We are a city and a borough that has it all—except for ample affordable housing accommodations that truly meet the needs of all people. As the landscape of our city continues to change and evolve, families across the socioeconomic spectrum are challenged by the lack of affordable housing. We have hit a precipice, a dire issue that is critical in preserving the diversity, cultural integrity and history of our neighborhoods. Sadly, many longtime residents in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods continue to face displacement. We will not allow our
Our collective efforts to build a community affordable for all families will define the character of Brooklyn. Brooklyn has historically been renowned as a destination for families from every part of the world, as generation after generation has come here in search of opportunity. My own parents, for example, came here from Jamaica to attend graduate school. As a native of Brooklyn and the representative of many first- and second-generation immigrants, I am deeply concerned about the dramatic increase in the cost of living, particularly housing, in Brooklyn, which has already displaced many families who came here to pursue the American dream. I am committed to working with the residents of every community in the 9th Congressional District and with federal, state and local elected officials and agencies to secure the resources required to create affordable housing and to expand the rent stabilization laws that keep homes affordable. The definition of affordable housing also depends on the amount of income families have. To keep housing affordable, we must reduce income inequality by establishing a living wage for all workers, providing resources for individuals who want to enroll in job training programs or enter college, and protecting the rights of workers to form labor unions and bargain collectively. We have the ability to keep Brooklyn affordable for future generations of working families and the families living here now. We need only the resolve to act on the strength of our conviction that Brooklyn should remain a diverse, vibrant community.
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MARTIN MALAVE DILAN
city & state — July 28, 2015
State Senator 18th District Democrat More affordable housing options and protections would make Brooklyn better. During recent housing briefings with colleagues, stakeholders, city officials and advocates, Williamsburg and Bushwick were highlighted to frame the issue of housing availability and affordability. Where it began a decade ago after rezoning was now the poster children for affordability woes. We were a month from the close of session, and as the framework for a rent protection
extension materialized, I knew this was heading for a no vote from me. Because, if that’s all the closed-door agreement could drum up, it was of little use to my district then and now—and we said as much in January. Block by block, tenants of all backgrounds are finding the issue of affordable living in North Brooklyn has no regard for race, education, profession, rent subsidy or not. It’s remarkable to see such a diverse group come together. It’s done more than bridge community and cultural differences; it’s managed to broaden our focus on matters of policy that directly or indirectly contribute to the crisis or suffer as a result. Everything from criminal proceedings, taxes, access to food, environmental concerns, expansion and improvement to public transportation, to safety improvements to streets, are brought to bear when we look at affordability and availability. The “big ugly” was status quo but the forum and debate leading up to it, and North Brooklyn’s newfound notoriety, made an impact. It’s spurred discussions on land value tax, market value-capture tools tailored specifically to affordable homes and not high-rises, the possibility of utilizing cap-and-trade auction proceeds to fund sustainable housing and transit projects, and broader licensure, inspection and enforcement tools.
FÉLIX ORTIZ Assistant Assembly Speaker 51st District Democrat A key building block for a better Brooklyn is making housing affordable throughout the borough. New York City ranks among the worst U.S. cities for housing costs. Too many renters cannot afford a modest two-bedroom apartment. The housing market is pricing many people out of the chance to become homeowners in the very neighborhoods where they grew up and want to raise families. This squeeze threatens the health and well-being of our residents. According to the
Food Bank For New York City, 17 percent of New York City residents reported that they had been unable to pay for food because they had to pay for rent in 2012. The problem cuts across generational lines and district boundaries. In Red Hook, Sunset Park and neighborhoods across the borough, many students graduating from high school and college can’t afford to stay and contribute to the very places they grew up. And according to AARP New York, older New Yorkers are factoring costs and suitability of housing into their decisions to stay in New York or retire elsewhere. Recent action by the Assembly marks progress in addressing this situation. New legislation passed and signed into law will extend existing rent laws for four years, helping protect families from being priced out of their homes. To further protect and preserve available housing, we also increased the vacancy deregulation threshold. Raising the threshold to $2,700 and requiring that it be indexed to future increases set by the Rent Guidelines Board will help to ensure that more housing units can remain affordable. Too many hardworking New Yorkers are struggling to afford housing for their families as rents continue to skyrocket. These measures are key steps in the effort to help ensure that families and people of all ages can continue to call Brooklyn home.
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JESSE HAMILTON State Senator 20th District Democrat More affordability is critical to making Brooklyn a better borough. Too many longstanding residents of Brooklyn feel pushed to the margins of neighborhoods they have called home for decades. Nobody deserves the anxiety of choosing between paying the rent and paying for groceries. Diversity in Brooklyn includes ethnic, religious
and cultural diversity of course, but also intergenerational diversity and income diversity. Make no mistake, we warmly welcome the newer and often richer Brooklynites. Change is a good thing, and it is even better for all of us when all income levels can live in harmony. Senior citizens on fixed incomes, young people just starting out and families trying to get back on their feet in the wake of the Great Recession all need us to focus on preserving an affordable Brooklyn. What shape does affordability take? Affordable housing by way of strong rent regulations and promoting opportunities for affordable ownership. Affordable transport, in keeping with a high-quality mass-transit system that reaches every neighborhood. Affordable nutritious food, both for young people in universal free school breakfast and lunch, as well as high-quality, accessible healthy food options for adults. Also significant, affordable enrichment opportunities like access to cultural institutions that make known they are open to everyone and welcome your visit. In reaching for that Brooklyn, in focusing on keeping Brooklyn inclusive and affordable, we make Brooklyn better.
HAKEEM JEFFRIES Congressman 8th District Democrat Brooklyn is a gorgeous mosaic of people from all walks of life. There are African-Americans, CaribbeanAmericans, Orthodox Jews, Latinos, South Asians, Turkish-Americans, Russian-speaking Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union and many, many others. Our ethnic, cultural, religious,
socioeconomic and artistic diversity is our greatest strength. But it is threatened by the affordable housing crisis that continues to crush working families, middle-class residents, senior citizens and young people all across Brooklyn. Socioeconomic gentrification is a growing cancer. Unless we treat it aggressively it will continue to eradicate neighborhood after neighborhood like a malignant tumor. At a certain point, Brooklyn will simply be a place for the wealthy and the well-off and everyone else will have no place to go. In this regard, I will work hard to pass legislation to make sure that all new housing construction using federal funds are at least 50 percent affordable. Brooklyn deserves nothing less. It is also why I support the mayor’s effort to create and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing. We are in the fight of our lives. We cannot retreat. We cannot withdraw. We cannot stand down until all residents can afford to stay in Brooklyn and benefit from the renaissance they helped to create.
45 The Tobman / Adler Family joins City & State in celebrating their home borough. From Brigham Park to Downtown Brooklyn, with several very interesting stops along the way.
tobman STRATEGIES @mdtobman POLITICAL CONSULTING - PUBLIC RELATIONS - CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS - CAMPAIGN CONSULTING cit yandstateny.com
city & state — July 28, 2015
Before Brooklyn was a brand.
DIANA RICHARDSON Assemblywoman 43rd District Working Families
There is no doubt that the most important issue facing Brooklyn today is a critical shortage of affordable housing. One of the main draws that makes Brooklyn such a desirable location is the cultural flavor created by long-term residents of our borough; unfortunately, these residents are facing economic forces that are making it difficult to remain in the communities they have helped to build. We need to switch our focus from short-term stopgap measures that aren’t doing enough to stem the flow of affordable units out of Brooklyn, and start to make proactive efforts to increase the supply available to our hardworking long-term residents so they can remain in the communities they have called home for generations. As the elected representative of the 43rd District, I am focused on the longterm security of my constituents. Brooklyn is a vibrant, diverse place composed of so many different communities and cultures. Protecting this cultural legacy and protecting our residents from displacement are vitally important, and my No. 1 priority in office.
KEVIN PARKER State Senator 21st District Democrat The thing that will make Brooklyn a much better place to live, work and raise a family will be more available workforce housing units. At the center of the housing crisis in Brooklyn is the lack of units for regular everyday working people. There have been several measures put into place that have been making provisions of cit yandstateny.com
affordable housing for the working poor. At issue now is housing for the men and women in the workforce who are priced out of these affordable housing units but who also do not also earn enough to afford luxury housing. That’s why I have introduced a bill—S2766—that will provide for the creation of workforce housing for those working families unable to afford unsubsidized housing because of lack of sufficient income, and unable to qualify for affordable housing because their income exceeds New York City’s adjusted median income. The city is at risk of losing an essential municipal workforce, despite the residency requirements, as well as the service providers for the private sector due to the lack of affordable housing. Many individuals who have been marginalized with regard to affordable housing are members of collective bargaining unions. Therefore, one possible solution to this housing problem and the betterment of life in Brooklyn is to permit the collective bargaining organizations to work with municipal, state and privatesector partners to finance and develop affordable housing targeted, in part, to their membership and other workers in the private sector for both a union membership and public benefit.
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Land Use
city & state — July 28, 2015
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JO ANNE SIMON Assemblywoman 52nd District Democrat
The one thing that would make Brooklyn better is a new approach to land-use planning. Brooklyn, and particularly my district, has land-use planning woes galore. When one considers almost any issue, one sees that all roads lead to real estate. School seats? Real estate. Transportation? Real estate. Hospitals? Parks and open space? Again, real estate. The fundamental problem is we don’t plan adequately or comprehensively. The sheer number of parties developing real estate—private owners, the city, the state, public authorities and the federal government (often roadways)—do it according to different processes and in their own vacuums. Each assesses impacts under the different laws. There is a great deal of public sentiment and frustration that by the time a project gets to any public review/comment
stage, there is little substantive change that can be made. When the public tries to engage, it feels spurned, leading to frustration and disengagement. Our laws assume that disclosure and mitigation alone are sufficient. Increasingly my constituents are saying that this isn’t enough. By not engaging the public at the ground level, we miss trends—look at efforts to save the G train: Demographic trends indicated increased need for the line, but the New York City Transit Authority proposed to cut it. In 2004 the Downtown Brooklyn Plan centered around commercial uses without having performed a market assessment. The community recognized that the next market was housing. In the decade since, Downtown Brooklyn has experienced skyrocketing and skyscraping residential development but without the infrastructure—physical
or social—to support it. In the HoytSchermerhorn project, we community leaders successfully planned with government, but that doesn’t happen often. We simply need to find a better way of integrating the public with real estate decisions, so that our schools, parks, hospitals and environment aren’t afterthoughts.
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CAROLYN MALONEY Congresswoman 12th District Democrat
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BRIEF: City & State and our partners will gather leaders in education, government, advocacy and business to discuss the implementation of technology in classrooms and STEM curriculum across New York, and the current debate regarding evaluations, testing, school closures and more.
PROGRAM:
RAFAEL ESPINAL City Councilman 37th District Democrat We should increase the amount of rooftop organic farms across the borough. The farms would provide fresh local foods to food deserts across Brooklyn. The rooftop farms can provide local businesses with produce or even create farmers markets in local parks. There is also opportunity to push it further, in that Brooklyn-branded produce can become a commodity and marketed across the country. The farms can also partner with local schools to provide fresh school lunches and work to create borough-wide educational programs and internships for students to learn about the importance of self-sustainability, creating green environments and eating clean, healthy food.
8:00am: Registration & Breakfast 8:45am: Keynote by NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina 9:00am: Big Ideas in Education City & State moderates a panel of officials, experts and academics on improving tech access in and out of classrooms, STEM learning in NY schools, and how to make NY more competitive across the globe! Clara Hemphill, Editor, Inside Schools (Moderator) Josh Wallack, Deputy Chancellor, NYC Department of Education Rashid Davis, Founding Principal, P-TECH More speakers TBA 10:00am: Government and Labor Working Together City & State moderates a panel of top level education officials and labor leaders on issues like testing, evaluations, schools closures, charters and more. Merryl Tisch, Regents Chancellor MaryEllen Elia, Commissioner, NYS Education Department Evan Stone, Founder, Educators 4 Excellence More speakers TBA
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Sponsored by:
To RSVP, please visit events.cityandstateny.com For more information on programming and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jasmin Freeman at jfreeman@cityandstateny.com or call 646-442-1662.
city & state — July 28, 2015
In 2005 the city promised Greenpoint and Williamsburg a beautiful, 28-acre park along the North Brooklyn waterfront. This park, Bushwick Inlet Park, was supposed to mitigate the increased congestion from a waterfront rezoned for further development. A decade has passed since that promise, and while we have a new administration, we don’t have our park. We have a small sliver of a park, but it is a far cry from the park we were promised which would provide a much-needed amenity for our green-starved neighborhood. Tens of thousands of new residents have moved into the area and more are certainly coming since North Brooklyn is an undeniable hot spot. Our community agreed to greater density, crowding, traffic and other inconveniences in exchange for a small bit of green—a serene place to play and exercise and enjoy the beauty of nature. Promises made should be promises kept, and it is time to turn Bushwick Inlet Park from a dream into a reality.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH The New School Auditorium: 66 West 12th Street
Transportation / Infrastructure
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N. NICK PERRY Assemblyman 58th District Democrat
The traffic in Downtown Brooklyn is horrendous; it has been exacerbated by recent changes implemented mostly by the Bloomberg administration. I suggest a total review utilizing an innovative approach to redesign traffic patterns, which will be more appropriate for the increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic that is a reality in today’s Brooklyn. Changes to the roundabout at Cadman Plaza have totally aborted and defeated the whole idea behind a traffic roundabout, which is designed to promote a free flow of traffic in all directions leaving the roundabout. Many merging lanes have been blocked off, forcing increased traffic into major intersections, bringing Brooklyn traffic to a standstill many more times than necessary. Let’s spend some money to get some brains and realistic thinking into dealing with our traffic nightmare.
This will make Brooklyn a much safer and happier place for those who have to drive on our streets. I would also consider eliminating traffic along Fulton Street from Vanderbilt to Boerum Place to create a shopping plaza, The Fulton Mile, and provide a free dedicated bus shuttle service along the thoroughfare for consumers to conveniently and safely shop the stores along the street. I envision the plan to be similar to Denver’s successful 16th Street Mall. The rebirth of Downtown Brooklyn has meant so much to the entire borough, and special attention should be paid to maintain the long-term sustainability of the area and keep it an inviting destination for tourists and Brooklynites alike. This would elevate Brooklyn to the No. 1 spot as the top shopping destination in the city. Finally,
I would change the name of the major roadway known as Kings Highway to the “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Highway.” As the “fourth largest city in America,” with over a third of the population being African-American, it’s a shame that there is no real monument to this great civil rights icon. This would be a fitting tribute, and wouldn’t cost the city too much. Staten Island has honored Dr. King, and it’s well past time that Brooklyn stepped up to the plate.
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JERROLD NADLER
SIMCHA FELDER
In making Brooklyn even better, I have long advocated the need for two key Brooklyn infrastructure buildouts to efficiently move goods in and around the borough, the city and the region—the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel and the Brooklyn container port. These infrastructure projects will see significant benefits in terms of jobs and environmental sustainability, which is why I have passionately campaigned for them for more than 30 years during my time in both the state Assembly as well as in Congress. Constructing a Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel to reconnect the city and the region with our nation’s rail system would have huge economic and environmental value. It would remove as many as 1 million trucks from city streets annually to help solve New York’s major traffic congestion issues, eliminate a built-in cap on economic development, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by thousands of tons, address a major national security vulnerability and improve public health. Additionally, I fundamentally believe that an active Brooklyn container port is imperative for the economic vitality and environmental well-being of the city and region. Having a deep-water container port centered at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park is key to ensuring that our port district overall retains its position of dominance on the Eastern Seaboard, and South Brooklyn’s recent designation as an American Marine Highway demonstrates the importance of South Brooklyn and the nearby Red Hook Container Terminal as an essential part of our region’s shipping ecosystem.
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VINCENT GENTILE City Councilman 43rd District Democrat This is a hard question, especially considering Brooklyn has everything anyone could ever want in a borough. We have the Nets, the Barclays Center, Coney Island, the Cyclones, bagels, pizza, culture, museums, beaches, waterfront parks, the best views of the skyline … the list goes on and on. But if I had to pick one thing that would make Brooklyn a better place, it would have to be major improvements to our infrastructure. I hear from my constituents on a daily basis about the horrors of the R train, the lack of adequate bus service and the poor conditions of our roads. I am happy to have secured much-needed funding in this year’s budget to address some of those needs, but much more needs to be done. I would like to see more resources allocated to our aging transportation system—it’s what will carry Brooklyn into the future.
State Senator 17th District Democrat Brooklyn is home to more than 2.6 million people, and each year we are happy to welcome millions of tourists. As a lifelong Brooklynite—born, raised, educated and now raising my own family in Brooklyn—I didn’t grow up with a car; we frequently used the borough’s busses and subways to get around. Though Brooklyn still enjoys a strong public transportation network, millions of us must use a car. In some areas, including my own 17th Senate District, alternate-side and metered parking coupled with one-way streets, morning garbage collections and school bus pick-ups frequently lead to complete gridlock. Many people complain that finding parking often takes double or triple the time of the trip itself. It wouldn’t surprise me if you yourself have been forced to accept a pricey ticket rather than miss an important doctor’s appointment or arrive late to work. As Brooklyn continues to grow, we must explore new ways to ensure that visitors and residents alike have access to stress-free parking. As chairman of the state Senate Cities Committee, I’ve heard some interesting ideas, but at the very least it is reasonable that homeowners should have the option to pay for an annual parking permit in front of their own house. Brooklyn has everything a person could want: beaches, bike paths, restaurants and museums. But the one great improvement we would all be happy to see is an increase in parking availability. Brooklynites need a spot.
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city & state — July 28, 2015
Congressman 10th District Democrat
Technology
52 CITY & STATE PRINT ISSUE SPOTLIGHT:
Get your organization or message in front of NY government in this targeted issue spotlight. Ad deadline for this issue is August 6th! Contact Andrew Holt at aholt@cityandstateny.com or 212-894-5422 to reserve space today! FEATURED TECH AND TELECOM EDITORIAL: • Uber Across New York – What is holding up the company’s expansion to the taxi desert that is the Capital Region, and are other upstate cities experiencing the same issue? • NYC Data Dumps – City & State takes a look at the the actual amount of usable data that is accessible to the public. How might Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new One New York initiative improve on the decades long efforts? • Universal Broadband – Recently Mayor Bill de Blasio and President Obama have made universal broadband a priority. City & State analyzes how feasible this is to complete, and how targeted efforts in NYCHA and other facilities might be more realistic in the immediate future.
city & state — July 28, 2015
GOVERNMENT Q&A’S ON TECH AND TELECOM ISSUES IN NY: • Rachel Haot, Chief Digital Officer, New York State • Maya Wiley, Counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio • Councilmember Jimmy Vacca, Chair, Committee on Technology • Senator Joe Griffo, Chair, Committee on Energy and Telecom TECH AND TELECOM OP-EDS AND PERSPECTIVES: • Reshma Saujani, Columnist and Founder of Girls Who Code • Minerva Tantoco, Chief Technology Officer, New York City BACK & FORTH: • Tim Armstrong, CEO, AOL
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JOSEPH LENTOL Assemblyman 50th District Democrat
Brooklyn is quickly becoming the tech capital of the Northeast, if not the country. We must continue to attract technology businesses here. NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering is a great step toward building a self-sufficient ecosystem where we can train our own Brooklynites and keep them here with good, high-paying jobs. We also must continue to build the necessary infrastructure to support these tech companies. We need to improve our transportation system in Brooklyn so people can easily move from one part of the far-reaching borough to the other. We need to beef up our telecommunications infrastructure so companies can efficiently and safely operate their systems. If Brooklyn wants to continue to be the best borough in the universe we need to make the tech industry one of our shining stars.
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Baruch College 55 Lexington Ave, 14th Floor • New York, NY 10010 City & State celebrates our fifth annual On Energy event with a broad look at the energy and environment sector in New York and the region. Leaders in government, advocacy and business will weigh in on topics like the future of nuclear, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s regulatory overhaul in New York, and more.
city & state — July 28, 2015
Wednesday, August 26th
For more information on programming and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jasmin Freeman at jfreeman@cityandstateny.com or call 646-442-1662.
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C haracter & Culture
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city & state — July 28, 2015
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ROBERT CORNEGY City Councilman 36th District Democrat Our borough is so diverse, but too many of us live like we have blinders on— or worse, look at people who are different with suspicion. Brooklyn would be better if residents were more motivated to experience each other’s cultures in a deep way and were given a way in. New residents should seek out the businesses and cultural events that have sustained the community for decades, and those proprietors cit yandstateny.com
BRAD LANDER City Councilman 39th District Democrat
OK, let’s be honest. We’ve got it pretty good. In so many ways, Brooklyn lives up to the hype: from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Prospect Park to Coney Island, from craft breweries to hip-hop festivals, from Di Fara’s to soul food to Uighur food to Smorgasburg, from the small businesses on our commercial strips to the innovation at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. OK, I’d love to see a professional women’s soccer team. But what we really need to do is share these extraordinary benefits better— at a time when income inequality, low-wage jobs, skyrocketing rents and largely segregated schools threaten to push us further apart. And we’d better pay attention to rising temperatures and the rising sea level, or many of our kids’ Brooklyn neighborhoods will face existential risks from climate change. In my district, we’re hoping to build on our strengths and address our challenges through Bridging Gowanus, our community-based plan for a more sustainable, inclusive, mixed-use Gowanus neighborhood. With investments in sustainable infrastructure, we can not only clean up the canal, but also address flooding, energy, waste, transit and dynamic open space. With a real commitment to strengthen manufacturing and the arts and preserve a mixed-use neighborhood, we can create good jobs
and keep it a compelling, innovative place. With mixed-income and affordable housing, with investments in public housing, with a plan for diverse schools, we can make sure a truly inclusive set of Brooklynites can find places to live, work, learn, play and create. If we get Gowanus right, we can build on Brooklyn’s strengths, face up to the challenges of our time, and turn a low-lying, once-polluted industrial area, amid global warming and gentrification, into a model for a sustainable, mixed-use neighborhood, inclusive of Brooklyn’s extraordinary creativity and diversity.
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city & state — July 28, 2015
should be open to welcoming them. New businesses should let it be known that their doors are open to everyone and demonstrate that love in deed. I’d love to see everyone finding new ways to connect and preach beyond their own choirs.
city & state — July 28, 2015
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LATRICE WALKER Assemblywoman 55th District Democrat
One thing that would make Brooklyn better would be fewer guns on the street. I represent a district where gun violence has plagued our communities and monopolized all of the media attention. If there were fewer guns, media outlets would be able to focus on all the good that’s happening around our great borough and, in particular, the amazingly growing and prospering 55th Assembly District. We are at the crossroads of change and reinventing ourselves. The media would be able to focus on telling the story of the many families and community stakeholders who serve as agents of change. On any given day, residents are meeting with local developers, investors, communitybased organizations and their neighbors to participate in ongoing development projects. The 55th Assembly District is growing by leaps and bounds encompassing change from within. For the first time, things are not just happening to us but with us.
If there were fewer guns on the street, the media would have been able to attend all the graduation ceremonies in the district and report firsthand on the number of children graduating with honors and moving on to college programs in record numbers. For every gun victim I hear about, I also hear from a father who is excited about a child being accepted into a college preparatory program or a mother who just announced on Facebook that her child received four acceptance letters to universities across our nation. See, if there were fewer guns on the street in Brooklyn, money spent on criminal justice programs could be used for much-needed educational and arts programming. For now, I will continue to praise constituents from my new rooftop, walking and working with the residents toward change.
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Brooklyn-Made Certification Program, Tourism, Innovation Economy in the Borough. Visiting “The People’s Playground,” “The Hippest Neighborhood on Earth” and the Caribbean in one day doesn’t have to be hard or cost a fortune – just come to Brooklyn. Whether your holiday lasts a day or a week, there’s no reason to head to downtown Manhattan or Paris when you could stroll through Williamsburg or DUMBO or take a trip to Long Island or California instead of having a blast at Coney Island’s amusement parks, boardwalk and beach. Want to experience a myriad of cultures without hopping from country to country? Brooklyn is home to the Caribbean Capital of America in Flatbush, Chinatown in Sunset Park, a sizeable Latino population in Bushwick, the traditional Greek and Italian enclaves in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, and a substantial Polish community in Greenpoint.
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The world is here, and with Explore Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Chamber has put it right in the palm of your hand. Explore Brooklyn is the borough’s leading tourism website – a complete resource for Brooklyn dining, events, shopping, attractions, and more. The website (Explorebk.com) is designed to help both New Yorkers and visitors of all ages find the very best of Brooklyn, discover its neighborhoods and give local businesses and attractions an easy-to-use tool to promote themselves in a seamless social environment.
City Councilman 38th District Democrat cit yandstateny.com
Brooklyn is a tourist destination that definitely stands on its own. Roughly 20 percent of all tourists to New York City already visit Brooklyn, and that number is growing by the minute. With more than 30 hotels and over 3,500 rooms already available in the borough – and another 20 projects in the pipeline – there are more than enough options to satisfy anyone’s preference. Soon, you’ll even be able to book your stay and purchase Brooklyn-themed tours through Explore Brooklyn. Brooklyn-made products provide shopping options of the highest quality, and are in demand in markets across the planet. Visitors have access to numerous first-class attractions – sporting events and shows at the Barclays Center, the Cyclones at MCU Park, performances at the Kings Theatre and Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the New York Aquarium, to name just a few – and an abundance of premier restaurants specializing in countless international cuisines. With Explore Brooklyn, you can find all the best shops for locally made goods, view lists of restaurants categorized by community and culture, and scroll through all the coolest events happening in the borough during your stay. So if you need a break and want to travel the world, there’s no need to traverse the globe – the County of Kings already has it all and it’s at your fingertips with Explore Brooklyn.
city & state — July 28, 2015
CARLOS MENCHACA
Preserving the character of our neighborhoods. My district has a mix of waterfront maritime and manufacturing zones adjacent to beautiful residential areas. Those residential areas hum with a mix of low-rise homes, medium-sized apartment buildings and commercial strips lined with small businesses. Every day I hear from constituents about threats to the character of their working and residential neighborhoods. They face gentrification, erosion of zoning protections and skyrocketing rents. I want Sunset Park, Red Hook, Borough Park and Windsor Terrace to grow and thrive without losing the very character that makes them so attractive. I also want the maritime and manufacturing zones of the south Brooklyn waterfront to stay available for businesses—large and small— that create jobs for my constituents.
T
Yard Work
he Brooklyn Navy Yard
has gone through a rapid transformation in recent years. Dozens of new businesses have come to the nonprofit industrial development site, bringing hundreds of jobs. In the next five years, the Navy Yard’s growth could see an even more rapid surge, with several major projects in the works that could double the site’s number of workers. Brooklyn Navy Yard Economic Development Corp. President and CEO David Ehrenberg sat down with City & State to discuss all the changes on the way, as well as some of the struggles that come with such ambitious development. Below is an edited transcript of that interview.
city & state — July 28, 2015
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City & State: There is a lot of energy around the Navy Yard’s development right now. It must be exciting to come to work every day. David Ehrenberg: I grew up in Brooklyn. It is a dream job for me, being able to work at a not-for-profit like the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is able to create large numbers of jobs and individual projects because we have such a large property, such impressive buildings and tenants, while also remaining focused on Brooklyn and locally on the communities surrounding the Navy Yard. There is a lot of energy at the Navy Yard. There is a lot of energy in Brooklyn in general and we like to think that we are at the heart of the Brooklyn renaissance and leading the way in how to do that, both in creating a lot of economic activity at the yard while also creating a lot of economic opportunity for local residents. C&S: Mayor Bill de Blasio invested $140 million into the renovations of Building 77. How is the project proceeding? DE: We are looking right now for a marquee tenant for the top two floors of that building that will anchor the industrial cluster that we have developed at the Navy Yard. We are working with a broker right now to seek a tenant that will bring
A Q&A WITH
DAVID EHRENBERG a large number of jobs but will also be beneficial to the other industrial companies that are in the yard right now so we can maximize all the synergies that already exist. That is something we take very seriously, that our woodworkers partner with our metalworkers who partner with our design and technology companies, and we are trying to maximize that effect. C&S: The development at the Navy Yard is a mix of industrial, commercial and even retail. What goes into the decision-making process for picking projects? DE: The simple answer is that there is no simple right answer. Balance is perhaps the most important word used at the development corporation—we are constantly trying to balance a lot of different things that we are trying to accomplish. That said, we have remained true to the existing tenants at the yard. Ninety-five percent or so of our leasing activity is renewals of our existing tenants or expansions
of those tenants. We think that is extraordinarily important because unfortunately right now, given the real estate market in New York, finding that kind of stability for industrial and manufacturing companies is extraordinarily difficult. Many of them are being priced out of neighborhoods around the city and those who are not are being offered very short-term leases because their landlords are not unsurprisingly looking at what is coming down the pipe. We, as a mission-driven landlord, work very hard to make sure that we are providing the safe haven for our companies, and that is something we take very seriously. That’s important for us to stabilize the companies, but more importantly to stabilize the employees of the companies and their families. We see a bright future in manufacturing and industrial firms in New York because I believe that as technology begins to creep into everything we do in life that the intersection between design, technology, manufacturing,
media, fashion, all of that will continue to accelerate and a lot of that will happen in New York. C&S: What are the one or two biggest obstacles the yard faces in reaching its growth goals? DE: We have announced all these fantastic projects to create thousands and thousands of additional highquality jobs for local residents and now we have made our bed and we have to sleep in it. So, a year ago we knew that this was coming down the pipe and we started making investments in those basic operations to figure out how we move all those people to the local train stations. How do we have enough food options for them? And those are investments that we are starting to make right now. We will be coming out in the near future with a really robust transportation plan that will link us very directly to the local train stations, subway system and bus routes. So that is a lot of what we are spending our time on right now. cit yandstateny.com
NYU inBROOKLYN Using Science, Technology, Art, Media and Engineering to bolster Innovation throughout the Borough
engineering.nyu.edu magnet.nyu.edu cusp.nyu.edu