GOP Senate Shakes Up Brooklyn The proposed state senate lines have created quite a stir among Brooklyn Democrats, with one elected official going so far as to call the plan "an atrocity." Due to a snafu by the senate Republicans, the wrong lines were initially released, and it appeared as if State Senators Vincent Gentile and Seymour Lachman were thrown into the same district, and that Carl Kruger and John Sampson were also thrown together. However, when the mistake was corrected, the real proposal showed that no two Brooklyn Democratic senators resided in the same districts.

However, the districts were drawn so that some senators may be more competitive running outside of their home districts because their home districts were seriously altered. For example, state Senator Carl Kruger's 21st senatorial district is currently 84 percent white and three percent black, but under the proposal it would become 21 percent white and 84 percent black. Gentile's 23rd senatorial district is also greatly changed, losing nearly all of Bay Ridge, picking up the western half of the Coney Island peninsula and changing ground in Staten Island. Lachman's 22nd senatorial district is slated to receive Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, retain Bensonhurst, give up western Coney Island and portions of Midwood and Borough Park, and add Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park and Mill Basin. "It studiously avoids every Jew in Brooklyn," said one source, adding that this district was likely created for Councilmember Marty Golden's state senate bid. "They [the senate Republicans] found every Irishman still living in Brooklyn."

In order to compensate for creating a district for Golden, said one source, the senate Republicans transformed Kruger's district into a minority district. They also created one new district, the 25th, which is 70 percent white and takes in areas such as Midwood and Borough Park. A potentially displaced white senator or two could run there. Carl Andrews' 20th senatorial district underwent a relatively major overhaul, losing a large chunk of Flatbush, and essentially replacing it with portions of Park Slope, Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace. "That's clearly the part of the district he's got to work hard in," said one insider. But Ernie Lendler, Andrews' spokesperson, disagreed. "The last place a challenger will come out of is Park Slope," he said, noting that Andrews had the endorsements of the League of Conservation Voters, NARAL and the Working Families Party.

Aside from creating some political chaos in Brooklyn, the plan is drawing criticism for creating overpopulated city districts and underpopulated upstate districts. That imbalance effectively dilutes the power of urban minorities, say critics. "This is a first draft plan. It's never going to pass legal muster," said Sue Gold, spokesperson for state senate Minority Leader Martin Connor. "Ten years ago there were three drafts." Connor himself lost significant portions of Williamsburg, but picked up turf in the downtown and brownstone areas.

Suddenly, On The Outside Looking In Hakeem Jeffries, who garnered over 40 percent of the vote in a loss to Assemblymember Roger Green in 2000, is nearly certain to challenge Green again this year. "The most important endorsement in this race that I can secure is from my wife, and fortunately I have secured that endorsement. I am strongly considering the race, and I expect that when petition season begins, I will be circulating petitions in the 57th assembly district," said Jeffries. Jeffries and members of his club, the Brooklyn Freedom Democratic Association, are not only encouraged by their showing in 2000 but are miffed at what they believe was the deliberate excision of Jeffries from Green's district.

The reapportionment proposal released by the assembly showed Jeffries' Prospect Heights home drawn out of Green's district by one block, located instead in the proposed 52nd assembly district. Other portions of Prospect Heights are now included in the 52nd AD as well. "For purposes of political expedience, it seems clear to me that Roger Green has done a disservice to the community by diluting the community's political voice [between two districts]," said Jeffries.

But Green, who is also chairperson of the state black and Hispanic legislative caucus, said that the districts were drawn to comport with federal law. He said that in order to protect his district as a viable voting rights district, it made legal sense to lose portions of Prospect Heights, with its influx of non-minorities, and add blocks from the Fort Greene Houses. "The closest blocks of African-American and Latino residents that I could pick up to preserve the voting rights district were the Fort Greene houses," he said.

But Jeffries cast doubt on that assertion. "It belies the facts," he said. "This district is 70 percent African-American. I just find it curious that in 2000 I was squarely within the 57th AD, but in 2002, with these proposed lines, I'm a block outside." Green said that potential opponents played no part in reapportionment. "The legal and legislative realities are shaped by the decision of the Supreme Court. The members of the task force did not stay up at night thinking of the thousands of potential candidates that exist around the state. There was never any discussion of candidates at all," Green said.

Since this is a reapportionment year, Jeffries is not bound by any residency requirement.

Switchback Crucial changes were made to the proposed districts of Assemblymembers Jim Brennan and Joan Millman since the first draft, with Brennan picking up important territory in southern Park Slope. Brennan's proposed 44th assembly district now contains much of Park Slope south of Fourth Street, and some additional election districts in Windsor Terrace. The added turf is an improvement for Brennan, as the previous draft deprived him of much of that base and added more orthodox Jewish voters instead. His club, the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, is headquartered in the South Slope. "The district is about 80 percent intact, so everything is fine," said Brennan. "Jim got back some territory," said District Leader Jake Gold. Although the proposed district still contains more orthodox Jews than before, he said, the change is somewhat mitigated. "If you think of it as a scale, a few more pieces have been added to the Park Slope side," he said.

Millman's proposed 52nd district is still the so-called brownstone district, taking in the North Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble and Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo and part of Red Hook. "It makes it a district that is not only contiguous, but compact, which it hadn't really been before," said Millman. "It's now a unified brownstone district." The Bay Ridge portion of Millman's district is slated to form part of a new assembly district that includes a portion of Staten Island. "I'm really going to miss those people," she said of Bay Ridge residents. "I'm going to have to introduce myself to a new group of people."

Before the readjustment, some insiders believed that the addition of more conservative voters in Brennan's district, combined with the formation of Millman's brownstone district, could have lead to a challenge by Brennan for Millman's seat. But now the belief is that Brennan is sufficiently comfortable in the 44th assembly district to remain put. "I would be flabbergasted if he decided to run in another district," said one source.

Proud Marty Borough President Marty Markowitz will make some local history in June when he becomes the first beep to march in Brooklyn's annual gay pride parade. "Definitely, he's marching," said Glen von Nostitz, Markowitz's spokesperson. The Brooklyn Pride Parade is nothing new to Markowitz, who has marched in it for years. It is, however, a first for his office. During Howard Golden's years as borough president, he sent his deputy Jeannette Gadson instead.

Now, Brooklyn Pride, the organization that runs the event, is currently considering making Markowitz the grand marshal. "The actual vote isn't completed," said von Nostitz. "We can't say anything until they vote." The vote will occur in early March, said Steven Gradman, co-chair of Brooklyn Pride. Gradman said that the presence of the borough president at the parade was a significant first for the gay community in Brooklyn. Helen Marshall, the Queens beep, has been chosen grand marshal of that borough's pride parade.

Borough Politics Archive

2002
February 18 column.
February 11 column.
February 4 column.
January 28 column.
January 21 column.
January 7 column.

2001
December 10 column.
December 3 column.
November 19 column.
November 12 column.
November 5 column.
October 22 column.
October 1 column.
September 6 column.
September 4 column.
August 30 column.
July 23 column.
July 2 column.
June 25 column.
June 11 column.
May 28 column.
May 21 column.
May 14 column.
May 7 column.
April 30 column.
April 23 column.
April 9 column.
April 2 column.
March 26 column.
March 19 column.
March 12 column.
March 5 column.
February 26 column.
February 19 column.
February 12 column.
February 5 column.
January 29 column.
January 22 column.
January 15 column.
January 8 column.
January 1 column.

2000
December 25 column.
December 18 column.
December 11 column.
December 4 column.
November 27 column.
November 20 column.
November 13 column.
November 6 column.
October 30 column.
October 23 column.
October 16 column.
October 9 column.
October 2 column.
September 25 column.
September 18 column.
September 11 column.
September 4 column.
August 28 column.
August 21 column.
August 7 column.
July 31 column.
July 24 column.
July 17 column.
July 10 column.
June 26 column.
June 19 column.
June 12 column.
May 15 column.
May 8 column.
April 24 column.
April 10 column.
March 13 column.
March 7 column.
February 21 column.
February 14 column.
February 7 column.
January 31 column.
January 24 column.
January 17 column.

1999
December 16 column.
December 9 column.
December 2 column.
November 25 column.
November 18 column.
November 11 column.
November 4 column.