Opinion - Bklyner

Opinion: The City’s Engine of Economic Mobility Needs a Kickstart

Brooklyn College. (Photo: Zainab Iqbal/Bklyner)By Council Member Inez Barron, Chair of Committee on Higher Education and Council Member I. Daneek Miller, Chair of Committee on Civil Service and Labor Last Friday, hundreds of Professional Staff Congress (PSC) members from the City University of New York (CUNY) and their

Election 2021

Opinion: It’s Time To Invest In Parks

(Image: Prospect Park Alliance)By Rita Joseph, a teacher running to represent District 40 There are over 1,700 public parks and green spaces in New York City, and they have never been more important than during the COVID pandemic. With much of the city locked down, our parks provided

COVID-19

Opinion: I’m A Teacher and I Think It’s Time to Reopen the Schools

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter at Phyl’s Academy in Brooklyn on March 23, 2021. (Image: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)By Briget Rein, current UFT employee and a candidate for New York City Council District 39. Throughout this pandemic, I have put my faith in

Election 2021

Opinion: Toba Potosky is the Right Person for Council District 33

Former NY State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (left) with Toba Potosky (right). Courtesy of Sen. Montgomery.By Former NY State Senator Velmanette Montgomery I represented the constituents of the 25th District in the New York State Senate for many years. I served as a teacher and daycare director prior to

environment

Opinion: Pass the Climate and Community Investment Act

Brooklyn Shorefront. Liena Zagare/BklynerBy Senator Andrew Gounardes and the Bay Ridge Environmental Group It’s long past time for bold climate action in New York State. Strong action on climate change will protect southern Brooklyn from natural disasters and rising seas, but also deliver direct benefits to many southern

Bensonhurst

Opinion: We Need Experienced, Ethical, Hard-Working Public Servants

Council Member Alan Maisel In His District – John McCarten/NYC CouncilSouthern Brooklyn is facing a historic moment. Our residents and small businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic. Now, President Biden’s stimulus will bring billions of dollars to the City. Facing such crisis and opportunity, we need experienced,

Carroll Gardens

OPINION: We Should Have Paused the Gowanus Rezoning Until After COVID

By Briget Rein, Candidate for Council in D39. It has finally happened: Judge Katherine Levine lifted the temporary restraining order and the ULURP process has begun on rezoning Gowanus. The rezoning is inevitable. I want to make myself abundantly clear: I was never against the rezoning. I want more housing

affordable housing

Opinion: Brooklyn has a Housing Crisis. Here is the Plan the Next Mayor Needs to Follow.

Central Brooklyn. Liena Zagare/BklynerBy Michelle Neugebauer To create a fairer, more equitable New York, our next mayor needs to address Brooklyn’s affordable housing crisis. It is a dire situation: the median monthly asking monthly rent in the borough is $2,395, despite a pandemic-driven drop in median rent.

Central Brooklyn

Opinion: Brooklyn Needs Public Power

Blackout in Mill Basin, 2019. Todd Maisel/BklynerBy Nicholas Boni It’s time for Brooklyn to take its power back. Our borough’s power grid is in shambles. Blackouts are as common as summer heat waves. Utility rates are astronomical, erratic, and ever-increasing. The East River, the Gowanus Canal, and

Bushwick

OPINION: Keeping Our Graduates Connected Is Critical For Their Success

Photo by Alex Simpson on UnsplashBy Arthur Samuels & Pagee Cheung Miguel* was a member of the very first class at MESA Charter High School. Like many of our students, he had struggled academically. His family faced financial hardships and spent some time in the shelter system. Miguel had been

Central Brooklyn

Opinion: The Racial Cost of NYC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

NYCHA vaccination site at Nostrand Houses in Brooklyn on Friday, February 12, 2021. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography OfficeBy Brian Benjamin, Roxanne Persaud, and Kitaw Demissie, MD, PhD New York City is one of the most racially diverse cities in the world – it’s what makes our city incomparable to all

Bed Stuy

OPINION: We Need To Elect Emerging Leaders That Represent The True Diversity Of This City.

Jason Walker, Campaign photo.Deciding to run for City Council was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. This decision to suspend my campaign has been even harder. I am an intersectional organizer who has been organizing to advance Black liberation, secure equal rights, advocate for equitable access to

environment

OPINION – Poison Land and Poison Rhetoric: Gowanus Rezone Proponent Uses Personal Attacks to Sidestep Public Health Concerns

Rendering of the post-rezoning Gowanus canal bridge crossing with waterfront development and pedestrian activity. (Rendering from the Department of City Planning website)By Nora Almeida, Linda LaViolette and Miranda Sielaff In a take-down attempt that’s short on evidence and heavy on pro-developer talking points, Michelle de la Uz’s

community

Opinion: Will I Be the Next Anti-Asian Hate Crime Victim?

April Somboun with her children. Courtesy of April Somboun.By April Somboun, candidate for City Council in District 33. It’s appalling. For the last few weeks, hate crimes against Asians fill the front page. Sadly, this isn’t new. Last year, despite the total number of hate crimes dropping,

Central Brooklyn

NYC Schools Chancellor: Why I Dare to Dream Big

Meisha Porter, New York City Schools Chancellor. Image courtesy of NYC Department of Education.By Meisha Porter, New York City Schools Chancellor This week, I began leading the nation’s largest public school system. A school system that serves more than 1 million students—including, many years ago, me! I

Central Brooklyn

Opinion: Let’s Fully Fund Public Schools Now

PS 6 in Flatbush. Liena Zagare/BklynerBy Tracy Jordan, a parent, education advocate, and Flatbush resident. The pandemic has exposed and increased the inequities that exist in our public school system, now we are surely in a crisis. At this moment, we have the opportunity to rectify this crisis by

affordable housing

OPINION: Gowanus Green Opposition Offers Up NIMBY Misinformation Cloaked in Progressivism

Courtesy of Marvel Architects/SCAPE Landscape ArchitectsBy Michelle de la Uz A recent opinion piece by several Gowanus residents opposed to affordable housing development in their neighborhood, unfortunately, continued a pattern of dangerously misleading rhetoric about the Gowanus Green development. As a 43-year old nonprofit comprehensive community development corporation whose

affordable housing

Opinion: Stop Opening New Temporary Shelters, Let The Next Mayor Work On Permanent Solutions To Homelessness

Homeless in Sheepshead Bay. October 2018. Liena Zagare/BklynerThe last seven years, for most New Yorkers, have felt like we are trapped in a series of unfortunate events, starring our mayor. From his mismanagement of NYCHA, to his $1 billion ThriveNYC scam. From his destruction of small businesses, to his

affordable housing

OPINION: P.S. 90’s Future Belongs To The People Of District 40

PS 90 in 2007. By Nicholas Strini/PropertySharkThe 2020 murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd thrust the Movement For Black Lives firmly into the public consciousness. When centuries of anger, frustration, and despair spilled out into the streets, I hoped that our political and civic leaders would finally take

COVID-19

Opinion: With Hope On The Horizon, We Must Support Community-Based Programs In Vaccination Education

As positive news continues to come out about COVID-19 vaccines, there is a glimmer of hope at the end of a pandemic that has been going on for nearly a year. But a vaccine only works if enough people actually get vaccinated. A recent poll shows that 71% of Americans

Business

OPINION: Unintended Consequences — Council Bill Will Deliver Death Blow To Restaurants, Bodegas and Small Grocers

How can New York City get our economy back on track as we all fight furiously to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic? It’s a question that everyone is desperate to answer, as New York City’s economy continues to take a beating from the COVID crisis. Between December 2019 and

Central Brooklyn

OPINION: Community Boards Must Share the Blame for not Demanding Safe Streets

This is a common sight near Graham and Metropolitan Ave intersection. By Paul Kelterborn.Paul Kelterborn is a resident of Brooklyn Community Board One and a regular bicycle commuter. The death of Adrian Coyotl De Los Santos, a bicyclist killed on December 23 when an MTA bus driver mowed him

Central Brooklyn

OPINION: Erasing the work of Women of Color & Disunity in the Brooklyn Democratic Party

I am the first in my family to graduate from law school and the first to be a political activist in the United States. Unfortunately, I am certainly not the first woman of color to be slandered and have my qualifications called into question by those who are afraid of

Business

OPINION: Keeping Retail Open Must Be Part of New York’s COVID-19 Response

Shuttered beauty salons. Ellie Plass, Bklyner.As we venture further into the winter months, discussions about what we can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in New York continue. Now, in designing our strategy for the holiday season and beyond, we must take care to ensure that any response

affordable housing

OPINION: Delay Gowanus Rezoning ULURP Process Till In Person Meetings Can Be Held

A view of the Gowanus Canal from the Union Street Bridge (Photo: Nathan Haselby)By Penn Rhodeen and Glenn Kelly, area residents. Kelly has lived in Carroll Gardens for over 40 years and is a member of Community Board 6. Rhodeen is a member of Voice of Gowanus. The City