Chuck Otey’s Pro Bono Barrister for June 20
No Matter the Good Cause, Advocacy For ‘Morning Drinking’ Bothers Columnist
Going forth boldly: let us note that some Brooklyn political leaders, otherwise popular and respected figures, might have crossed a line to please soccer fans, bars and beer brewers. For bold-faced names in this note, just fill in your favorite bar, beer or BP.
In a nutshell, this columnist believes that a program that encourages the sale of alcoholic beverages as early as 8 a.m. instead of 10 may indeed please bars and restaurants, as well as the European Soccer League fans. But my belief is that physicians and informed therapists strongly suggest that “morning drinking” may be threshold to membership in AA. … Leading pro bono lawyer Steve Cohn expects a packed house June 29 when his Seneca Club holds its “Night of Stars” at Giando on the Water, luring the likes of Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sen. Chuck Schumer, U.S. Reps. Nydia Velazquez, Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler, Public Advocate Letitia James, Brooklyn Bar Association President Aimee Richter (a former member of Cohn & Goldberg), as well as Hon. Frank Seddio and former Borough Presidents Howard Golden and Marty Markowitz. … Congratulations to outgoing Presidents Hon. Miriam Cyrulnik and Sara Gozo as they complete their successful terms as presidents of the Kings County Inn of Court and the Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, respectively. They turn over the reins, again respectively, to Appellate Division Justice Sylvia Hinds-Radix and Michele Mirman. … Telling Our Story: Brooklyn Eagle reporter Lore Croghan’s probative and fascinating explorations of traditional and new neighborhood homes and landmarks here are a collective “Bible of Modern and Not-So-Modern Brooklyn” and is understandably beloved by realtors all over the borough. The latest edition was headed “‘Blue Bloods’ and Bidding Wars in Bay Ridge.” … Query: Why does Mayor de Blasio favor an 18-mile-long trolley (which would take decades and billions of dollars to complete) instead of a Gowanus Tunnel? In actual planning stages for almost 20 years, the tunnel is doable and not that far from being shovel-ready. It has enjoyed broad support from many over the years, including then-private citizen and current Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Al Appleton of the Regional Plan Association, U.S. Rep. Velazquez, the late Assemblymember Eileen Dugan, then-Borough President Golden, Sunset Park environmental activist Elizabeth Yiampierre, Buddy Scotto and Ben Meskin. The tunnel would replace the aging, rotting, polluting Gowanus Expressway, thereby creating more than 2,000 acres of prime, tax-producing commercial and residential properties in Sunset Park and South Brooklyn. Is the BQX a fantasy or a re-election ploy concocted to stroke the egos of Billyburgers who seem to believe they are entitled to their own “Millennial Express?”
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.