Celebrating Community
I’m a devout agnostic, and as we brace for the Trump era my inner atheist has been gaining confidence. However, I admit I’ve got a soft spot for Christmas. Maybe it’s the idea of Christmas, or having been fortunate enough to receive some great presents over the years (Nintendo64 comes to mind). Or, when it all boils down, it […]
There’s reason to be skeptical of Thor Equities’ Red Hoek Point plan. Many people in the community have raised questions about the project itself – if space might be made for local nonprofits, if the construction would jeopardize our neighborhood’s historic cobblestones, if the tenants would change the character of Red Hook, if the development will economically benefit the community […]
I look at most things through the lens of what role government could – or should – play in any given situation. I plead guilty to confounding and even irritating those acquaintances that don’t share in my interest. The business aspect of sports is no exception; it’s been on my mind even while watching the NBA and NHL finals. I […]
I’m proud of Red Hook. We get good results when we work together. In the last months, we looked to the future, learned from the past and planned a more resilient community. For example, at the Miccio Center, we learned about new ways of building integrated flood protection. People from all over Red Hook reaffirmed that resilience isn’t just […]
Here’s what the Star-Revue naively wrote back in 2013, endorsing Bill de Blasio for mayor: We like Bill for a couple of reasons. Bill de Blasio has been a friend to the neighborhood of Red Hook, as well as all of Brooklyn as a whole. He is from the area, having represented the 39th District as City Councilman until his […]
I was stunned by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement of the Brooklyn Queens Connector – his $2.5 billion plan for a trolley system that would serve only the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront. What shocked me was the funding source. It is to be financed by floating a bond issue backed by anticipated property tax increases on land adjacent to the […]
There have been significant changes at the top of the Brooklyn Community Board 6 (CB6) hierarchy. Our Carroll Gardens’ friend and neighbor Gary Reilly, former Chairperson of CB6, has started a new domestic adventure with his wife and children in a home of their own with a backyard near Mount Kisco, New York. My guess is that even Gary would […]
It always takes a village! I’ve learned that this applies in the formation of our families, but also in teaching government to respond faster and better. When neighbors unify and lead community projects, the outcomes are just so much better. Red Hook is a perfect example of this idea. Our community learned how to lead government decisions and processes during […]
Editor’s Note: What follows was a letter sent to members of the City Council and the press. Jaworski prefaces the letter with the following: As you consider the Mayor’s-City Planning (DCP) proposals for Zoning for Quality & Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, you have heard from many who very knowledgeable about the flaws of the substance of the proposals. (Note, […]
Our Councilmember Carlos Menchaca made the news today as his office plans to draft a bill banning all tourist helicopter flights from NYC. This is an issue that has a small but noisy constituency, mainly the people in Battery Park City, Brooklyn Heights and Red Hook that are directly affected by the noise of the helicopters. The copters offer a birds-eye view […]