City Council Race Carlos Menchaca pulled off a stunning upset in 2013 – a political novice beating a seasoned incumbent in the 38 Congressional District (Red Hook, Sunset Park). At the time, we thought he was just trying to cash in on the goodwill he made in the neighborhood during Hurricane Sandy. He was sent here by his boss Christine […]
Politics
Nydia Velazquez fights Trumpism, by George Fiala
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez has been busier than usual during this first month of this Trump administration. On February 19, as the Republicans in Congress began hashing out a replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), she hosted a media event at Manhattan’s Gouverneur Hospital. Velazquez was joined by fellow legislators Hakeem Jeffries, Joe Crowley, Jerry Nadler and Jo Ann Simon. […]
A call to remove the ban, by Jeremy McCool
A Call to Remove the Ban: As many of you know, HEVO employs people from all walks of life. We are represented by Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Agnostics, Atheists and other religious belief systems throughout our small 15 person company. As I write this, I am pained to be planning the loss of our CTO (Chief Technology Officer), because […]
Column: Macro & Micro by Michael Racioppo
Before I say anything else, I want to say congrats to Senator Montgomery for her victory in the September 13th primary election. I am confident that she’ll continue to do a great job and if the Democrats should surprisingly take control of the State Senate she’ll get even more accomplished. I also must congratulate Bobby Carroll on his win in […]
Column: Gaining Yards, by Michael Racioppo
In a few Sundays, millions of us will shout out at the television insistantly “Move the Chains” as our football teams – in my case the Giants – advance for a first down on their march down field to hopefully put points on the board. At the risk of flooding the zone with sports metaphors and alienating those who don’t […]
Column: Mike’s Say: Keeping Their Word. by Michael Racioppo
I look at most things through the lens of what role government could – or should – play in any given situation. I plead guilty to confounding and even irritating those acquaintances that don’t share in my interest. The business aspect of sports is no exception; it’s been on my mind even while watching the NBA and NHL finals. I […]
Why is NYC delaying Gowanus Canal cleanup? by George Fiala
It is no secret that the Gowanus Canal has been a polluted mess for over 100 years. It should seem that everyone would be on board with a plan to repurpose the canal into a clean body of water, suitable for fishing, swimming and never be a health hazard. A nearby apartment, old or new, looking out over a bucolic, […]
Mark’s Corner: Nydia’s passion and engagement a stark contrast to supposed opponent, by Mark Shames
On January 21st I attended a meeting of my old political club the Independent Neighborhood Democrats. The draw for that meeting was an opportunity to hear from our sitting Congresswomen Nydia Velazquez and Yvette Clarke. We thought we would hear from Nydia’s primary challenger the banker and former deputy superintendent of the NYS Banking Department Mr. Yungman Lee, but he […]
A chat with Felix Ortiz, Red Hook’s representative in the NY State Assembly
Felix Ortiz has represented Red Hook and Sunset Park in the NY State Assembly for over 20 years. Last year, following the removal of Sheldon Silver as Assembly Speaker, Ortiz became the Assistant Speaker for the new Assembly leader Carl Heastie. We have gotten to know Felix well over the past five years publishing the Star-Revue, as well as his […]
Borough President joins CB6 for a Red Hook Screw, commentary by George Fiala
On Tuesday, December 22 at 6 pm at Brooklyn Borough Hall, the application to rezone part of Red Hook to allow an 8 story nursing home to be build in a flood zone will be the subject of a public hearing. There is so much wrong with the above sentence that my head is exploding. I couldn’t sleep most of […]