Good Morning, Brooklyn: Thursday, October 21, 2021

October 21, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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97 PERCENT OF COURT STAFF IN COMPLIANCE WITH MANDATE: Chief Judge Janet DiFiore announced that, as of Wednesday, October 20, 15,184 of the New York State Court System’s 15,600 judges and non-judicial employees−over 97 percent− have submitted proof of vaccination or a request for a medical or religious exemption in response to the Court System’s COVID-19 vaccine policy. Judge DiFiore also reported that of the 416 individuals who are not yet in compliance, more than 300 are presently on various categories of extended leave, including medical leave, making the actual compliance rate over 99 percent.

Several court unions have commenced lawsuits seeking to prevent implementation of the Court System’s vaccine requirement, and they are now appealing a decision handed down last Friday in Albany County Supreme Court denying the motion.

NEW GOVERNOR OKAYS RETURN OF ELDER JUDGES: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has granted the return of four mid-level appellate judges to their original courts, the New York Law Journal reports. The four, whom Chief Judge Janet DiFiore had ousted as part of a controversial austerity measure, are Judges Sheri Roman and Joseph Maltese (2^nd Appellate Department/Brooklyn) and Ellen Gesmer and David Friedman, to their former mid-level appellate courts, Hochul’s spokesperson, Hazel Crampton-Hays, said in a statement. The judges were left in limbo for months as former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a political ally to DiFiore, did not give them the OK to return to their former posts; and then Cuomo resigned following sexual misconduct allegations.

Judge Sheri Roman has reported for work at the Appellate Division, Second Department, but the Law Journal reported that “it was not immediately clear if Judge Maltese would return to the Appellate Division, Second Department.

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EARLY VOTING STARTS THIS WEEKEND: Early voting for the citywide General Election starts this Saturday, Oct. 23, and runs until Oct. 31, two days before Election Day, Nov. 2. Voters can visit https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc/ to learn more about this year’s municipal election, in which they will choose the next NYC Mayor, Comptroller, Borough Presidents, Public Advocate, county District Attorneys, local City Councilmembers, and judges

Three of the five proposals on this year’s ballot pertain to voting rights, including Proposal 1 on Redistricting. While lawmakers draw these boundaries, Proposal 1 will give voters the opportunity to approve constitutional changes to the redistricting process.

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CONEY ISLAND CREEK AND FERRY ON CB13 SLATE: An update by the NYC Dept. of Environmental Conservation and the Economic Development Corp. on Coney Island Creek and the construction of the new ferry dock there are on the agenda for Brooklyn Community Board 13’s next meeting on Wednesday, October 27. The community board serves Coney Island.

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NEW POLICY ON LIBRARY FINES TO BE EXPLAINED: Community Board 2’s Youth, Education & Cultural Affairs Committee Monthly Meeting convenes next Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. via Zoom, with a key agenda item being a Q&A with leadership of the Brooklyn Public Library. They will provide updates on the new policy that eliminates late fines, as well as the clearing of all prior late fines and replacement fees. The library will also share a virtual tour of the brand new Adams Street Library, the first new branch library location in Brooklyn in almost 40 years

Community Board 2’s designated neighborhoods include: Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Clinton Hill, DUMBO, Fort Greene, Fulton Ferry, Navy Yard and Vinegar Hill.

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ROUNDTABLE ON CRIME PROTECTION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS: Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez is the guest speaker at a virtual Roundtable Discussion on Crime Prevention and Protection for Seniors, that the Fort Greene Council, Inc. is sponsoring, Community Board 1 has announced. Joining D.A. Gonzalez at the 2 p.m. Round Table on Friday, Oct. 22 will be Police Officer Evita Poole.

Notices of this virtual meeting are being sent to area senior centers.

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MARCH HONORS GUNSHOT VICTIM: Today starting at 3:30 p.m., members of the GodSquad/67^th Precinct and 71^st Precinct Clergy Councils and elected leaders State Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblymember Diane Richardson, will join faith leaders for a March Against Gun Violence. The march, starting at the corner of Nostrand Ave. and Hawthorne St., will mark the anniversary of the death of Theodore Senior, a 23-year-old Prospect Lefferts Garden resident who was killed at a mass shooting,

The speaking program, at Winthrop Playground (Winthrop Street between Bedford Avenue and Rogers Avenue), will focus on gun violence prevention.