Comedy is king at Markowitz’s Barclays gala
Borough President Marty Markowitz threw a goodbye party for himself Thursday night at Barclays Center, the signature accomplishment of his 12 years in office.
His final State of the Borough speech had all the elements of the Markowitz shtick: over-the-top praise for Brooklyn (the borough’s school’s have “continued to set the standard”; with Brooklyn’s tech boom, “Silicon Valley is so over”), self-deprecating digs (about trying to listen to Jay-Z, not understanding the tech products made in his borough and wondering whether the world “is ready for my svelte swimsuit physique”); and people lauding Markowitz (City Council Speaker Christine Quinn singing “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Losing Marty,” Larry King on a video from Las Vegas, and a somewhat bungled Brooklyn rap by Tony Danza).
Amid a laundry list of accomplishments and the glories of Brooklyn, with praise directed at a diverse list of politicians (even City Councilman Charles Barron, a frequent Markowitz opponent, got a favorable mention), there was one bit of news. The Bloomberg administration, the City Planning department and iStar Financial had reached an agreement with Markowitz to build a new venue for the Seaside Concert Series, which Markowitz has sponsored for 34 years. The 5,000-seat covered arena will be at the site on the old Child’s restaurant building at the western end of Coney Island.