De Blasio town hall to hit Brooklyn Heights … and some may hit back

October 12, 2017 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn residents from Greenpoint to Boerum Hill have the opportunity to meet Mayor Bill de Blasio at a town hall on Oct. 18 where they can ask questions, air grievances and learn about local issues. AP file photo by John Minchillo

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Have a question to ask or a bone to pick with the mayor?

Residents of Council District 33 (Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Fulton Ferry, Greenpoint, Vinegar Hill and Williamsburg) are invited to a town hall with Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 6 p.m. in Brooklyn Heights.

The event will take place at St. Francis College, 180 Remsen St., between Clinton and Court streets.

Those who attend will be able to ask the mayor neighborhood-level questions, complain about a situation or alert him to local issues. Hot topics will likely include development (or rather, overdevelopment), crowded schools, transportation and affordable housing, among others. The sale of the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) campus in Cobble Hill to developer Fortis remains a sore point for many residents who supported de Blasio in his initial run for mayor based on his promises to save the hospital.

De Blasio is aiming to hold town halls in all 51 Council Districts. The New York Times has noted that the mayor, with the Nov. 7 general election looming, has “dramatically picked up the pace” of town hall meetings and similar local events where he can directly interact with potential voters.

Previous town halls have not all gone smoothly. One, held in Brooklyn, was boycotted by Assemblymember Charles Barron and his wife Councilmember Inez Barron.

The Barrons released a statement to the Amsterdam News saying, “We will not host a political photo-op and community ventilating session” with the mayor.

At a town hall in Harlem, de Blasio was mercilessly harangued by a senior citizen outraged about the poor condition of the sidewalks.

But the mayor has broken good news at other town halls, including one in Queens, where he announced that City Hall was adding the final money needed to expand the Queens Library at Rego Park — welcome news for Councilmember Karen Koslowitz.

“Like they say, I’m verklempt,” she told WNYC.

In any case, de Blasio will likely be well prepped for this upcoming event. According to WNYC, the mayor attends a planning session with dozens of agency leaders and staffers two days before each town hall, beefing up on local issues.

Residents of the 33rd Council District are asked to RSVP by Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. via email at [email protected] or by calling 212-788-7929.

The event is co-sponsored by Councilmember Stephen Levin, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

Other co-sponsors include Community Boards 1, 2, 3 and 6, Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.