Around Brooklyn: Stringer: Mayor must rescind power

March 5, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle

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Stringer: Mayor must rescind power

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer recently sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio calling on City Hall to rescind Emergency Executive Order 101, Section 2, which suspended the usual laws and regulations related to procurement of city supplies and services since the COVID shutdown on March 17. The city has entered into 1.238 contracts under Mayor de Blasio’s emergency powers, totaling more than $5.2 billion in city-funded contracts since March 20, without the statutory oversight of the Comptroller’s Office. Stringer wants to restore the city’s system of checks and balances in the procurement process to ensure full accountability and transparency.

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Bay Ridge senior victim of hit-run

A soccer-loving senior citizen who beat cancer and avoided COVID-19 had his life shortened by a hit-and-run driver. Kamel Mahmoud, was in a crosswalk 11 blocks from his Bay Ridge home when he was hit by a driver who then fled the crash on Feb. 15, police said. Mahmoud died five days later at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. Police said the driver may have been behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz. Stepson Patrick White told the Daily News that “The only consolation is that he went as painlessly as possible. He didn’t suffer any fractures or broken bones, but he did land head-first. So it was just a few seconds of pain for him.”

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Liqueur combines tastes of Brooklyn and Italy

Conde Nast Traveler recently reviewed Brooklyn-made Faccia Brutto’s Fernet Pianta, a liqueur made with herbal ingredients such as chicory root and fresh peppermint. Faccia Brutto, a new distiller in Bed-Stuy, is operated by Patrick Miller, formerly of Rucola, an Italian restaurant in Boerum Hill. Miller’s team makes five types of organic Italian-style amari liqueurs. While amari, or liqueurs that have been bittered and flavored with botanics, are not commonly seen in the U.S., they are common in Europe.

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Leak causes ‘mini-swimming pool’

Raquel Rodriguez, a mother of three who lives at the Lafayette Gardens in Bed-Stuy, recently reached out to PIX11 for help, saying her living room has been covered with puddles of water coming from the wall since October. Rodriguez is a home health care aid with three children, one of whom is living from autism. After PIX11 publicized the problem, NYCHA crews came to Rodriguez’ apartment and started the work. NYCHA said the problem was caused by old pipes.
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Betsy Head Park emerges from redesign

Betsy Head Park in Brownsville, 106 years old, reopened late last year after a $30 million redesign. The park, best known for its bathhouse and swimming pool, now includes a fitness course for teens, a self-competitive basketball circuit and a destination skate park. Other updates include outdoor chess tables and a climbing wall. Tree-lined winding pathways have replaced a barren asphalt lot in the north section of the park. Brownsville, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the city, has long suffered a deficit of parks and other public spaces, according to The Architect’s Newspaper. The renovation was carried out as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s $105 million Anchor Parks initiative.
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NYPD unveils anti-graffiti partnership

The New York City Police Department today is announcing a new collaborative effort to erase graffiti in shared public spaces across our city. The anti-graffiti efforts will rely on the built up relationships between the police and the public in two important ways. First, officers from all 77 precincts, and in the NYPD’s transit and housing units, will rely on information from residents about locations that need a cleanup. Second, officers and community-member volunteers will stand side-by-side to get the job done. Working together, the “Graffiti Clean-Up” campaign will kick off as the weather improves and will continue in response to what we anticipate will be an increasing supply of tips streaming in from the public.
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Colton to host women’s awards on Zoom

Assemblyman William Colton (D – Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights) plans to celebration International Women’s Month with an award ceremony. “For many years my office has been recognizing a number of distinguished women in our neighborhood. It has become a tradition. This year due to COVID-19 we will be honoring many great women for their achievements on zoom. The event will take place Wednesday, March 24, 2021, at 7 p.m. on zoom,” Colton said. People wishing to nominate women should email [email protected] or call 718-236-1598 and ask for Sarah. The deadline in Wednesday, March 10.
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Clarke co-leads immigration legislation

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-Brooklyn) released the following statement announcing the introduction of H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2021. The bill, coauthored by Representatives Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) will enable U.S.-raised immigrant youth known as “Dreamers” to earn lawful permanent residence and American citizenship. In addition to Dreamers, the Dream and Promise Act also includes protections and a path to citizenship for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries .“I am proud to co-lead H.R.6, the Dream and Promise Act, which provides 2.5 Million Dreamers Temporary Protected Status, and Deferred Enforcement Departure Recipients with a pathway to citizenship,” she said.

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Man stabbed at Williamsburg train station

A stranger stabbed an Asian-American man during a squabble inside a Brooklyn train station early Thursday, according to police. The victim was arguing with another man inside the station at Marcy Avenue and Broadway in Williamsburg around 6:30 a.m. when the perp stabbed him in the head and neck. He was taken to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. The attacker, who wore a black jacket and black pants, ran off, according to the New York Post.

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Exhibit focuses on Jewish food

“Jewish Brooklyn: From Gefilte Fish to Kibbeh” is the first in a three-part series about Jewish life in Brooklyn being offered by the Center for Brooklyn History during the next two months. The first program focuses on the food of Brooklyn’s Syrian and Russian communities with moderator Jeffrey Yoskowitz, author and co-owner of The Gefilteria, and Sephardic food expert Jennifer Abadi, Russian food expert Boris Fishman and culinary historian Jane Ziegelman. The first conversation takes place via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 11. It is free but online registration is required, according to published reports.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.