Lighten Up Brooklyn Goes Pink

Thousands of Brooklynites continue to lose weight as Lighten Up Brooklyn heads into its final two weeks. Marty really got his body started with an exciting outdoor workout at Borough Hall Plaza on Wednesday, May 29th. With some help from a group of Bally Total fitness instructors, Marty learned the moves of the new Pink "Get Your Body Started" workout, which is inspired by the choreography of pop music sensation Pink. "This is a great way to burn off about 450 calories while still having a whole lot of fun," Marty added. Television crews from Spain and Finland were on hand to videotape all the action. There are still many exciting events left including the Weight Watchers Lighten Up Brooklyn Food Bank walk on Saturday, June 8th, starting at 10am at Marine Park. People are encouraged to bring non-perishable, canned food that will be donated to local food banks.

Marty & Seniors Speak Out Against Proposed Cuts to Senior Centers

The Borough President & the New York City Council’s Aging committee held a public hearing at St. Francis College on Thursday, May 30th, to give older Brooklynites and their service providers a chance to express their concerns about the drastic proposed budget cuts to senior programs. Under the Mayor’s budget, seven senior centers, including the Senior Center of East Flatbush, will close. Three of the four new senior centers that were going to open in Brooklyn are also targeted for elimination. These sites were chosen by federal guidelines to serve low-income, minority elderly like the growing Chinese and Haitian communities in under served areas. The Borough President also loses more than a million dollars in discretionary funds that were allocated through the Department for the Aging to help support many vital services. Marty told the audience, which included Department for the Aging Commissioner Edwin Mendez-Santiago, that it was imperative to restore this funding because it is impossible to meet the needs of Brooklyn’s large aging and ever more diverse population without this crucial financial support.

Marty Welcomes His Fellow Borough Presidents to Brooklyn

The Borough President hosted his colleagues from Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx on Friday, May 31st, for the third meeting of the Borough President’s Council at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall. These important meetings give Marty and the other borough presidents a chance to work together as a group to try and tackle a variety of problems and issues, which can be extremely helpful for both Brooklyn and the entire city. The Borough Presidents are working together to protest a number of the proposed budget cuts to education, cultural institutions and senior centers. They are planning on meeting with the mayor to voice their concerns. The group also heard a presentation about security at LaGuardia, Kennedy & Newark airports by Bill DeCotta, the Director of Aviation for the Port Authority of NY & NJ. DeCotta briefed the BPs about the various security improvements including the addition of federal law enforcement officers, new baggage screeners and screening equipment. He also stressed that sharing intelligence amongst various federal, state & local law enforcement agencies is the most effective way to fight terrorism. Joe Flaherty, the Senior Vice President of Technology for CBS, also made a presentation on behalf of the Metropolitan Television Alliance. The MTVA wants to build a new broadcast tower on Governor’s Island, which the borough presidents toured on May 29th. Marty and his fellow BPs are endorsing this proposal.

Brooklyn Builders Win Borough Honors

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce honored 10 unique development projects, which cost nearly half a billion dollars, at a Wednesday, May 29th, ceremony at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. The honorees included the developers of KeySpan Park, the renovation of a 750,000 square foot, downtown officer tower, the 15-building, $325 million Oceana Condominiums complex at Brighton Beach and a strip of 12 rowhouses built by Habitat for Humanity in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Marty told the crowd "the projects and the individuals being honored have made significant contributions toward enhancing the business conditions and economic climate throughout the borough."

Checkmate in Coney Island

There were plenty of kings and queens at Coney Island on Saturday, June1s, at the "Friends of the Boardwalk’s 1st Annual Borough President’s Chess Cup." Under beautiful, sunny skies, more than 100 people competed in 3 sections – beginner children, beginner adult & an open competition. The Chess-in-the-Schools program provided free chess sets. Marty was on hand to congratulate all the winners. Don’t forget that June 10th will be "Brooklyn Chess Day" at Borough Hall.

In Brief

Marty made a number of other appearances during the week. On Monday, May 27th, he walked in the 135th annual Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade. On Thursday, May 30th, Marty celebrated Asian-American Heritage Month at the Brooklyn Chinese American Association where he honored Paul Mak and Dr. M Robert Kim for their work in the community. And Friday, May 31st, Marty spoke & presented a proclamation at the 50th anniversary of the Tompkins Park Senior Center.

The Best of Brooklyn

Suzan-Lori Parks certainly deserves a curtain call. The Brooklyn playwright became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama for her play Topdog/Underdog. The comic drama opened on Broadway to rave reviews on April 7th and stars Jeffery Wright and rapper-actor Mos Def. She has previously won 2 Obie awards for her Off-Broadway work plus she wrote the screenplay for Spike Lee’s film Girl Six. Parks was presented with the Pulitzer at a luncheon on May 30th.