Borough President Markowitz Declares How Sweet It Is! Sweet Potato Pie Scholarship Contest

On November 15th Marty and Best of Brooklyn Inc. held the first ever How Sweet It Is! Sweet Potato Pie Scholarship Contest. The house of worship or community group whose member baked the best All-American sweet potato pie in Brooklyn won scholarship money for its group to distribute. Forty-nine Brooklyn groups sent representatives. Each representative brought two of his or her own, freshly baked sweet potato pies and two copies of the recipe to the borough-wide competition at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Mary Hardison of The Miracle Makers, Inc. won $2,500 for first place, Josephine Early of First Baptist Church of Crown Heights won $1,500 for second place, Adrienne Davis of St. Luke's Academy won $1,000 for third place. In fourth and fifth places were Virginia Graham of Mt. Paran Baptist Church I and Aprele Elliott of Mt. Paran Baptist Church II. They each received $500. The winning bakers were also awarded engraved silver pie servers. This special event, combining scholarship opportunities with the best baking in Brooklyn, was co-sponsored by Pathmark and Health Plus. “Nothing makes me happier than bringing Brooklynites together, especially when it is for a good cause and it involves Brooklyn’s best home cooking,” Marty said. Judges included Cakeman Raven of Fort Greene’s Cakeman Raven Confectionary, Esther Haynes-Tross host of BCAT’s “Cooking and More With Esther,” Deborah Morton of Southern Sweets, Gersh Kuntzman of the New York Post, Shakoor Watson from Shakoor’s Sweet Tooth, and Perry Chiocchi, Bakery Director for al1 143 Pathmarks, and Al Simmons of Health Plus.

Borough President Holds Joint Hearings on Skyrocketing Auto Insurance Rates

On November 12th, in the Borough Hall Courtroom, Marty held a hearing of his Taskforce on Equity in State and Local Policy to examine why Brooklynites pay the highest auto insurance rates in New York State, and probably the nation, and what can be done to improve the availability of affordable coverage for local drivers at the first hearing. The Borough President’s Taskforce, chaired by New York State Assemblymember Jim Brennan, conducted this hearing jointly with the State Assembly’s Insurance Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Pete Grannis, and with the State Assembly’s Committee on Codes, chaired by Assemblymember Joseph Lentol. “It is unacceptable that good Brooklyn drivers are asked to pay the highest rates in the land,” Marty said. “Brooklyn drivers often pay more than four times the rates paid upstate to insure the same car, and pay significantly more than drivers in any other borough. It is just plain wrong, and it has to stop. This hearing marks the beginning of the end of this nightmare. Everyone from insurance companies to law enforcement and government must come together to stop this economical injustice.” Marty asked why insurance carriers are not writing policies in many parts of Brooklyn. And he asked law enforcement agencies what measures are being taken and what resources are being devoted to addressing the insurance fraud problem.

Borough President Leads Townhall Meeting on Bias Crimes in Brooklyn

On November 10th, Marty joined with other Brooklyn elected officials, NYPD Brooklyn North Chief Joseph Cuneen, NYPD Brooklyn South Chief Joseph Fox, NYPD Deputy Chief Dennis Blackman commanding officer of the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force, Dr. Edison O. Jackson, President of Medgar Evers College, Joel Levy, New York Regional Director of the Anti- Defamation League, various community leaders and concerned Brooklynites to discuss a number of recent incidents of hatred, including the spraying of swastikas and the slashing of car tires in several Brooklyn neighborhoods.“We are here to listen to what has happened and to learn what all of us can do to stop these kinds of hateful acts. I am outraged when I hear that crimes of bias and prejudice have occurred in Brooklyn. We are the most diverse community on earth, and we should be the most tolerant too,” Marty said. “For us to live together in peace means that everyone must be respected and that no single group, be it African- Americans, gays and lesbians, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, immigrants, or anyone else, should be made to feel unwelcome or hated. That’s not right and it’s not Brooklyn.”

History Comes Alive in Celebration of the Reopening of the Brooklyn Historical Society With a Brooklyn History Fair

On November 16th, in celebration of the reopening of the Brooklyn Historical Society, Marty, the Brooklyn Historical Society and Borough Historian Ron Schweiger hosted a fascinating day about the history of the world’s most interesting city. The Brooklyn History Fair included eleven Brooklyn historical groups and organizations with a wide variety of important and unusual exhibits. The Brooklyn Historical Society is located at 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights. “History comes alive once again at the Brooklyn Historical Society. We’ve been without this architectural treasure for far too long, but it was certainly worth the wait,” Marty said. “I invite everyone, even the bridge and tunnel crowd from Manhattan, to experience this true Brooklyn gem. The Brooklyn History Fair will be a fantastic way to explore our past which helps us prepare for our future.” The Brooklyn Historical Society is currently running three exhibits in which visitors can learn about the history of Brooklyn. In “Brooklyn Works: 400 Years of Making a Living in Brooklyn,” enter re-created environments of tenement buildings and sugar refineries, see original advertisements and artifacts from products manufactured in Brooklyn, and hear the stories of workers from enslaved Africans to modern restaurant owners. “A Building’s Story” traces the unique history of the National Historical Landmark building from its origins as the Long Island Historical society through the recent renovations. “PS 145: Celebrating 100 Years of History” displays the research that last year’s fourth graders from Bushwick completed in anticipation of their school’s 100th birthday.