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MARKOWITZ INAUGURATION TOUTS BROOKLYN SUCCESSES
AND CHALLENGES, ENTERTAINS 2,000

In photo (from left): Marty makes a grand entrance surrounded by the Brooklyn Steppers marching band. In photo: Dancers from the Brooklyn Ballet perform. In photo: The Brooklyn Chinese-American Association Lion Dance Team.

Photographs by Laura Geiser In photo: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg administers the oath of office to Borough President Marty Markowitz, who is joined by his wife, Jamie. When Bloomberg said, “I vow not to upstage the Mayor at public events,” Markowitz responded, “I can’t do that Mayor.” When Bloomberg said, “I vow to uphold the laws of the charter of the City of New York,” Markowitz said, “I vow to uphold the laws of the charter of the City of New York — and the City of Brooklyn.” The crowd cheered and laughed.

Borough President Marty Markowitz celebrated his re-election with classic Brooklyn pizzazz at his inauguration last night at Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene. After Mayor Bloomberg officiated the oath of office — jokingly asking Marty not to upstage him in the future — heartfelt praise of Marty’s enthusiastic leadership of Brooklyn was offered by U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, and radio legend “Cousin Brucie” Morrow. Following Markowitz’s remarks, a star-studded cast entertained the 2,000 guests in attendance, including singer Stephanie Mills, oldies rockers Kenny Vance and the Planotones, and traditional performances representing Brooklyn’s enormous ethnic diversity.

The borough president’s speech highlighted the continuing growth in economic development across the borough, including the Greenpoint-Williamsburg re-zoning, the Atlantic Yards Project, the cruise-line industry in Red Hook, and the revitalization of Coney Island, which Markowitz touted for the new jobs and affordable housing that will be created. He said that a “true Brooklyn renaissance” would be achieved only when all Brooklynites have access to quality health care, an excellent education, affordable housing, and jobs that improve self-respect and self-esteem.

Markowitz commended residents and businesses for standing by Brooklyn: “We used to say Brooklyn’s best days were around the corner, on the horizon, in the days to come. Well guess what? In spite of the many challenges we face — for many, our best days are today, right here, right now,” he said. “We went through some tough times to get here. But you raised your families here, you invested in your communities, you nurtured your neighborhoods, you grew your gardens here, you started businesses here, you bought homes here — and most importantly, you kept the faith! Now we’re back as the city where the American Dream comes true — in all its diversity, creativity, ambition, and unity. Brooklyn is where it’s at, baby!”

Markowitz concluded his speech by remembering recently passed Weeksville founder Joan Maynard, then honoring several Brooklynites who he said represented the borough’s renowned “character, and cast of characters,” including cab driver Hossam Abdallah, an Egyptian Muslim from Bensonhurst, who returned a suitcase full of diamond rings found in his cab to Orthodox Jewish jewelers, and Fort Greene’s Keith Beauchamp, whose 2005 documentary film, “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till,” helped re-open the tragic 1955 Mississippi murder case, eventually resulting in a conviction.