Brooklyn Streets, Carroll Gardens

Cobble Hill Bike Ride TODAY!

2009-11-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

I'm really late to the party on this one, but it's been tough to post from work and my evenings have been pretty jammed. In any case, I can't ride this year (10 year old niece to entertain this weekend!) but last year's ride was a blast.

Details from the indefatigable Dave "Paco" Abraham:

COBBLE HILL BIKE RIDE

When: November 8th, 2009, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Verandah Place at Cobble Hill Park
Cost: FREE, simply rsvp to cobblehillbikeride@gmail.com.
Space is limited to 50 riders maximum. Preference will be given to those who register ahead of time, as well as Cobble Hill Association members.

The Cobble Hill Association and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative are hosting a 10-mile casual bike ride that will start at Cobble Hill Park and pass through Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, the Columbia Waterfront District, Red Hook, and Carroll Gardens then loop back to Cobble Hill.

There will be several scenic rest stops as we ride along mostly calm streets with some light vehicular traffic. Several Bike Marshals will travel alongside as well as a mechanic for any urgent bike repairs needed. It may be chilly so please dress accordingly, and know that riders should bring helmets and observe all the proper rules of the road.

Jon Stewart Does Glenn Beck - Hilarity Ensues

2009-11-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

Mother of god, this deserves an Emmy. H/T Atrios and a billion other internets.

Tonight: CGNA Meeting featuring District 39 City Council Candidate Forum

2009-10-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

CGNA October General Meeting TONIGHT!

Monday, Oct. 19, 2009

7:00 PM- 9:00PM

Hannah Senesh Community Day School

Gym, first floor

342 Smith St.

Agenda:

Report from 76th precinct

Updates from our local elected officials

CGNA Committee Notes

Guest Speakers:

City Council Candidates Brad Lander (D), Joe Nardiello (R), Dave Pechefsky (G)

Please join us. Everyone is welcome!

Saturday: Cobble Hill Book Swap

2009-10-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

The Cobble Hill Association is sponsoring a free Book Swap on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) Sitting Park located at Henry and Pacific Streets in Cobble Hill, from 11 AM until 3 PM.

The idea for the Book Swap is simple: bring a book and get a book. LICH staff members will also be on hand to meet the community and will conduct free blood pressure screening and an asthma information table at the park. Books will also be available for sale at $1 or less. All proceeds and remainder books will be donated to the Hospital by the Cobble Hill Association.

This low-key, neighborly event is the perfect time to meet neighbors and support our local hospital, too. In case of rain, the Book Swap will be held at the same time and place the following Saturday, October 24th.

To check on rain status that day contact:
To volunteer, please contact Margaret Ablon or Judi Francis at 718.855.3982

Fun!

Back to Blogging

2009-10-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Now that the campaign is over and I've had a few weeks to ease back into a regular life again, I'll be updating the blog more frequently again. So much going on in our little corner of Brooklyn - plus the citywide elections coming up. It's good to be back.

First Campaign Mailer

2009-09-02T06:56:00.001-07:00

Sent to targeted Democratic voters last week:

Gary Reilly Has What it Takes to Get Things Done for Our Community -

Friday Night Lights - American Can Factory

2009-08-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

Events have conspired to keep me from Rooftop Films' wonderful events this season - but no longer. Tonight I am looking forward to taking in some audio-visual entertainment on 3rd Avenue:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH, 8pm
ST. NICK
David Lowery’s debut feature is a pre-teen Badlands, a lush and visceral young American drifter tragedy. Astonishing imagery, evocative soundscapes, heartbreakingly smart and subtle performances, and a story that reveals layer after layer of complexity form a masterpiece of introspection and exploration.

Venue: On the roof of the Old American Can Factory Address: 232 3rd St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/ Park Slope, Brooklyn) Directions: F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Live music by Cameron Hull presented by Sound Fix Records
9:00PM: Film
11:00PM–12:30AM: Reception in courtyard including free sangria courtesy of Carlo Rossi sangria
Tickets: $9-$25 at the door or online

Presented in partnership with: Cinereach, New York magazine, & XØ Projects

We're #1!

2009-08-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

Carroll Park is #1. Congrats to Glenn and Katia and the rest of the Committee to Improve Carroll Park!

Mayor Endorses Gary Reilly's Proposal for F Express / V To Brooklyn

2009-08-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg announced a number of proposals for improving transit service (which I'll get into in more detail later).

The headline for the city-wide media is the proposal for free cross-town bus service in Manhattan (a good idea). But the big news for Brooklynites is the Mayor's belated support for enhanced F/V service on the Culver Line in Brooklyn, which I and other transit advocates have been calling for for years. From the Brooklyn Paper,

“Closer to Downtown, you’re talking about a couple of minutes. As you get farther out towards Coney Island you’re talking about potentially saving 20 minutes — that’s huge. But it’s also about the possible alleviation of crowding everywhere,” said Gary Reilly, a Democratic candidate for City Council in Carroll Gardens, who has advocated for years on behalf of the F line. “We need this and we deserve it. It’s a low–hanging piece of fruit.”

Back in 2007, over 4,300 people signed on to my petition to restore F Express service and extend the V line out to Brooklyn. Ben from Second Avenue Sagas, Jen from KensingtonBrooklyn and I have kept the pressure on the MTA and elected officials over the years to ensure that Brooklyn gets these despeerately needed transit improvements when the Culver Viaduct reconstruction is complete - and we led the fight to ensure that the Viaduct reconstruction would include the necessary track and signal work to accommodate express service.

In the summer of 2007, I held a press conference at the Church Avenue F station with Councilmen Bill deBlasio, Simcha Felder and Domenic Recchia, along with Paul Steely White from Transportation Alternatives and Gene Russianoff from the Straphanger's Campaign to demand enhanced F/V service fro Brooklyn.

In these difficult times we need to make the most of our transit infrastructure. The restoration of express/local service on the F/V to Brooklyn is a relatively cheap and efficient way to not only improve the quality of life for tens of thousands of Brooklynites, but also to aid in the revitalization of Coney Island and South Brooklyn.

Brooklyn deserves enhanced F/V service. And our time is coming.

All posts on the F/V Petition

The battle for better transit service is what inspired me to run for City Council - if you care about improving the state of our transit system, visit my campaign website at www.garyreilly.org. Our team is growing every day, and you too can help to make our city a better place to live.

Ravitch Named Lt. Governor

2009-07-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

What in the name of all that's holy . . . finally some good news out of Albany!!

Governor Paterson has named Richard Ravitch, of late renown as the head of the Ravitch Commission (whose suggestions were largely stymied by the Fare Hike Four, resulting in last month's fare hike and continuing the MTA crisis at a lower boil)

If Paterson can break the logjam in the Senate with this appointment (and a terrific choice, by the way) he deserves some praise. Gatemouth likes this appointment as much as I do . . . while paying a - I'm not sure backhanded compliment is the right term, but I'm not coming up with a better descriptor - to Governor Paterson for the effort.

Now if Ravitch can get a second bite at the apple with the MTA funding situation (bridge tolls et al) we might have some hope yet.

Carroll Gardens Downzoning: CB6 Thursday

2009-06-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

From Tom Gray of Councilman Bill deBlasio's office, a reminder to turn out in support of the long-awaited Carroll Gardens downzoning at the CB6 Land Use Committee meeting on Thursday night. The rezoning will protect the community from out of scale new development and preserve the character of Carroll Gardens and the Columbia Waterfront District.

Jun 25 Landmarks/Land Use Committee Meeting
PUBLIC HEARING on Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street Contextual Rezoning plan (ULURP No. C 090462 ZMK)
Discussion and formulation of a recommendation on an application submitted by the Department of City Planning (ULURP No. C 090462 ZMK) to contextually rezone Carroll Gardens and a significant portion of the Columbia Street District neighborhoods to protect the existing built form environments.

Long Island College Hospital
339 Hicks Street
Brooklyn NY 11201

6:00 PM

Rooftop Films In Gowanus This Weekend

2009-06-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sounds like fun - I love the rooftop theme to this series:

June 27th
Voices from El-Sayed:

In this smart and charming documentary, the world’s largest community of
deaf people is suddenly given a gift that threatens to disrupt local
heritage.

Venue: On the roof of the Old American Can Factory
Address: 232 3RD St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/ Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Directions: F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Live music presented by Sound Fix Records
9:00PM: Films
11:00PM–12:30AM: Reception in courtyard including free sangria courtesy of
Carlo Rossi
Tickets: $9-$25 at the door or online

Presented in partnership with: Cinereach, The Israeli Cultural Consulate,
New York magazine & XØ Projects
BUY TICKETS: http://newyork.going.com/event-602772;Rooftop_Films_Voices_from_El-Sayed

No refunds. In the event of rain, the show will be indoors at the same
locations. Seating is first come, first served. Physical seats are
limited. This means you may not get a chair. You are welcome to bring a
blanket and picnic.

Overflow Magazine - Primary Education

2009-06-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Overflow Magazine interviewed the 5 candidates for City Council District 39 including yours truly. It's a fun read and includes pictures of all the candidates in our native habitats.

Flash, so I can't cut and paste . . . but copies are available for free at participating local establishments. Lots of other good stuff in there too.

Bloomberg Campaign Ties To Jailhouse Bar Mitzvah Rabbi?

2009-06-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

New York politics can be fascinating stuff.

The rabbi[Leib Glanz] at the center of an investigation into a bar mitzvah that was held at a New York City jail last year had three scheduled meetings in the last four months of 2008 with Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey, the man in charge of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s political operation, records show.

The sordid details of the jail as Orthodox party hall made for some great tabloid fodder.

But to truly appreciate the story you must read this Gatemouth piece on Rabbi Glanz over at Room 8.

Rutgers Law Professor and Preservationist John Payne, RIP

2009-06-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of working as a research assistant for Professor Payne while I was in law school at Rutgers. Nominally he was my torts professor (and later my Land Use prof) but he was also the premiere scholar on the Mount Laurel affordable housing cases. I spent months poring over court records and exhibits spanning four decades to provide background for a book on these groundbreaking affordable housing decisions.

John M. Payne, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor at Rutgers School of Law – Newark and key participant in the Mt. Laurel cases, died Wednesday of brain cancer at Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, NY. He was 67 years old. Services are private. A memorial service will be held at the law school in the fall.
. . . .
Payne was also a driving force for historic preservation in New Jersey and critical to protecting the work and legacy of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He was a former president of the national Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and former director of Preservation New Jersey, the New Jersey partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

As an academic, Payne wrote and lectured extensively. In addition to his Mt. Laurel writing and articles on housing and historic preservation issues, he co-edited one of the most highly respected and widely-used casebooks on land development and land law use (Planning and Control of Land Development, 7th ed., 2008, with Daniel Mandelker et al.).

Prof. Payne cared deeply about the struggle to provide quality affordable housing fairly, as well as about historic preservation. I feel fortunate to have had the chance to know and learn from him. He will be missed.

Squadron Seeks MTA Review of F Line: What About F/V Service?

2009-06-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Brooklyn Paper ran a story yesterday on Senator Squadron's request that MTA review service on the Culver Line (aka the F train in Brooklyn).

Ben over at Second Avenue Sagas lays out some alternatives for improving service along the line, including the enhanced F/V service that we have been advocating for years now.

Right now, the Culver Line isn’t close to being at capacity. It could easily support the V train running out to Church at rush hour, and as one person commenting on Gersh’s article notes, the MTA could probably even run the V along the A/C through Lower Manhattan to pick up Wall St. commuters bypassed by the F. In one felt swoop, the MTA would make travel easier while alleviating congestion on the Culver line through Brooklyn.
The second solution — an observation — is a call for those people impacted by this service to just wait. On July 5, the MTA will extend G train service south to Church Ave. While not ideal, those who cannot get on the F train due to congestion can ride the G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn and transfer to the A or C. It’s not nearly as convenient as extending the V, but it may serve the same function.

There is a lively discussion in the SAS comments, check it out.

Whither the State Senate?

2009-06-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Things just get curiouser and curiouser.

“We have access, we have keys, and we’re going to open the door to do our business,” Mr. Espada said early Wednesday.

But that never happened. Mr. Monserrate’s talks with lawmakers on both sides of the leadership fight held up a planned 3 p.m. session, and he ultimately asked Mr. Espada and Republicans to delay the reopening of the Senate for a day while he continued to talk to Democrats; he said he wanted “to continue the discussions” with other Democrats “that I believe will build our coalition.”
. . . .
Mr. Espada’s former Democratic colleagues spent much of the day mulling over their leadership. Democrats met privately Wednesday morning for about 40 minutes in their conference room on the third floor of the Capitol. When they emerged, few were willing to express any confidence that Mr. Smith would be able to hang onto his job.

Senator Jeffrey D. Klein of the Bronx, the Democrats’ deputy leader and a sometime rival of Mr. Smith’s, said, “I can’t speculate on that,” adding, “We live day to day.”

Pedro Espada is done for politically.

So is Malcolm Smith.

This little coup may yet turn out to be the best thing that ever happened in the NY Senate.

Defector Espada Failed To get $2MM In Earmarks For Related Entities

2009-06-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Via the NYT CityRoom blog.

State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. requested more than $2 million dollars in Senate earmarks this year for two groups with links to the health care organization that he founded and which appeared to have been created in part to receive such grants, according to several Democratic officials and aides with knowledge of the requests.
. . . .
When Senate officials expressed reservations about the grants to Mr. Espada’s staff, aides to the senator asked to resubmit the grants with a new address for both organizations: 742 East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. Several weeks later, as Senate officials continued to balk, Mr. Espada finally asked that all the money be earmarked for the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, an existing and well-established organization.

The GOP can have these two sleazy pols. It is clearly where they belong.

UPDATE: Speaking of where they belong, I almost forgot that Pedro Espada doesn't even live in his district in the Bronx . . . he lives in Westchester! Espada is a fraud and a crook.

Ground Broken for New NJ-NY Rail Tunnel

2009-06-09T13:51:00.001-07:00

Apparently, this is the biggest transit infrastructure project in the country. And long overdue.

Two Members Of "Fare Hike Four" Reveal True Colors

2009-06-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Indicted domestic abuse suspect Hiram Monserrate (Queens) and campaign finance train wreck Pedro Espada (Bronx), two grasping, power-hungry nominal Democrats just went full-dirtbag and joined the Senate Republicans in an attempted coup.

It remains to be see how this mess will sort out, but one thing is certain: progressive Democrats need to unite to ensure these two treacherous, self-serving walking scandals never see another term in elected office.

No Wonder Brooklyn Museum Needs Money

2009-06-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

In 2005 their former payroll manager stole $620K, according to the Post.

The first thing I thought of was this article from the Brooklyn Paper on the financial troubles at the museum. City budget cutbacks have certainly impacted the museum - but better oversight of their finances would help.

I thought that was the end of the story for now. But this bit from the Daily Intel is priceless:

He faced 20 years in prison. Donna was probably pretty pissed about that. But she scraped together the $600,000 bond to make sure he could come home to his kids. Then, yesterday, after his first hearing, they exited the courtroom together. As they walked into the courthouse lobby, Dwight broke into a sprint, running down the building’s steps and careening down the sidewalk, away. Donna probably wondered why she had so easily abandoned her detective skills.

The Daily News has an action shot of the great escape.

Free Brooklyn to Governors Island Ferry

2009-06-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Eh, guv'nah?

Senator Squadron's office writes that after giving Brooklyn the cold shoulder last summer, GIPEC will finally provide free ferry service from Brooklyn to Governor's Island . . . starting this Saturday! Full release below:

I am writing to share some exciting news- this summer there will finally be free ferry service between Brooklyn and Governor's Island!

This ferry is something that Senator Squadron has long requested to better connect the Brooklyn Waterfront with the rest of New York Harbor, and we hope that you will be able to celebrate with him at the ferry's innaugural launch this Saturday, June 6 at 11:00 am, at Fulton Ferry Landing.

The ferry will leave Fulton Ferry Landing every hour, every Saturday when there is programming scheduled for Governor's Island. [UPDATE - The ferry will not continue to Battery Park as originally stated]. Please visit www.govisland.com for a full schedule...

...and please join Senator Squadron and other community members to celebrate the first launch this Saturday at 11:00!

Hope to see you then.

Great news. Thank you, Senator and staff.

Massive Mortgage Fraud In Queens: NYC Media Ignore It

2009-06-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Back in 2007, I wrote three posts on an unbelievably sleazy criminal, one Thomas Kontogiannis.

I contacted the news rooms at several local papers, including the Times, the Daily News, the Post, and a paper or two in Queens. Nothing but crickets in response. This is no boring story: Tommy K is now in prison for bribing California GOP Congressman Duke Cunningham. This was HUGE news on the West Coast - but not a single column inch of coverage here in NYC. Why?

Via Talking Points Memo, Reuters has a story up on Kontogiannis's $92 million dollar mortgage fraud. Maybe this contributed to Queens foreclosure rates dwarfing those of every other borough.

Real estate developer Thomas Kontogiannis, 60, and eight other defendants are accused of orchestrating fraudulent loans that were subsequently sold to the financial firms.

Federal prosecutors and the FBI said the scheme was centered around property developments that Kontogiannis bought and subdivided from 2001 to 2003 in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

To finance the projects, the defendants are accused of staging sales of the properties financed by mortgage loans. Bogus appraisals supported the price of the properties, even where buildings had not yet been constructed or had fictional addresses, said the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, which is prosecuting the case.

The Daily News failed to cover any aspect of this story, except for this mention in an article about tax delinquents:

Federal prosecutors who indicted Long Island financier Thomas Kontogiannis for laundering bribes to California Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham tied him to at least 22 companies including Westshore 480 Development, which, the city says, owes $751,708 in taxes on a waterfront property in Brooklyn.
A lawyer for Kontogiannis denied his client owned Westshore 480 or owed money for its property taxes. "He has no ownership and no liability," lawyer Robert Wolf said. "It would not be accurate to report that he does."

Apparently this guy was also involved in some shady business with spy agencies. All the more reason local papers should take an interest in an investigative story - but so far, no takers. What gives?

Andrew Ross Sorkin: Out Of Touch

2009-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

After reading about NYT's columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin's anti-union comments on MSNBC's Morning Joe, I wonder if this guy ever worked a single day in any sort of blue collar job. I'm betting "no".

This is not Sorkin's first bout of anti-labor ignorance. Last fall he gave wide dissemination to the (false) stories of $70/hour auto workers.

It is amazing to me the extent to which the right has managed to demagogue labor in this country over the last 30 years. And the extent to which our establishment media, which spreads these myths, is still somehow regarded as liberal.

By the way, the New York Times lost approximately $58 million last year and $74 million in Q1 2009 . . . Surely the fault lies with the Times's union employees, at least in the eyes of people like Sorkin.

Cold Ironing: Reduce Port Emissions In NY Harbor

2009-06-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Brooklyn Paper has an article on a setback in a Red Hook blogger's quest to reduce port emissions through "cold ironing". Cold ironing means that a ship turns off its diesel engines at port, instead plugging in to the electrical grid to reduce emissions. From the brooklyn paper article:

The missing piece, the Port Authority and city claimed, was discounted electricity from Con Edison, because the standard rate for the juice is too high to justify turning off the diesel engines in favor of plugging in.

But the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, nixed the so-called “shore power” idea on jurisdictional grounds in April, telling the Port Authority and the city to negotiate instead with the New York Power Authority, the port agency’s main supplier of electricity.

If I read the article correctly, there is still hope. It's a matter of working with the Power Authority to make this happen. It looks like the City and Port Authority were barking up the wrong tree - but this isn't over yet. Reducing the emissions from these ships should be a top priority.