Cornegy leads Brooklyn BP race in fundraising

Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, left, would be the first woman to serve as Brooklyn borough president.

With a dozen candidates running to replace Eric Adams as Brooklyn borough president, we’re looking into the fundraising numbers that have come out after the January 15th filing deadline.

Leading the pack is Bed-Stuy Councilman Robert Cornegy, who has raised nearly $250,000 in the race. Second is Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, who collected nearly $243,000, according to the Campaign Finance Board.

According to Simon’s campaign, Brooklyn residents made up over 80 percent of her 800 unique contributors. More than 90 percent of her donors are from New York City.

If elected, Simon would be the first woman to serve as Brooklyn borough president. She has been endorsed by State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, 504 Democratic Club, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club.

Williamsburg/Bushwick Councilman Antonio Reynoso has raised over $166,000 in the race, while Khari Edwards has amassed nearly $145,000 in contributions.

Other notable candidates include Councilman Mathieu Eugene with $38,000, Kimberly Council with $47,000, and Lamor Whitehead-Miller with $22,000.

Velazquez endorses Gutierrez for City Council

Jennifer Gutierrez, center, is running for City Council to represent Bushwick and Williamsburg.

A City Council candidate in north Brooklyn has earned the support of “La Luchadora.”

Jennifer Gutierrez, who is running for City Council to represent Williamsburg, Bushwick and Ridgewood, is currently the chief of staff for Councilman Antonio Reynoso, who is term-limited and running for Brooklyn borough president himself.

She was endorsed was Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who has represented the area for decades and is a political power broker in New York City politics.

“Jennifer has been a strong ally for me in North Brooklyn for many years,” Velazquez said. “I know that I can trust Jennifer to fight hard for her community and deliver important progressive victories in the years to come.”

The endorsement comes as no surprise. Velazquez has long been a champion of the progressive wing of the local Democratic Party, and counts Reynoso among her many allies.

The race to replace Reynoso only has three candidates so far: Gutierrez, Sean Esrafily and Terrell Finner. Gutierrez is shaping up to the leader of the pack.

Per Scholas receives NFL’s Inspiring Change grant

A Brooklyn nonprofit organization is one of 13 partners that will receive grant funding as part of the NFL’s Inspiring Change social justice initiative.

Per Scholas, which has an office in the Broadway Triangle area, provides skills training and access to employer networks for people often excluded from tech careers through no-cost technical training.

The nonprofit will use its Inspire Change grant to enroll 220 people into their software engineering courses, a 15-week, full-time training program that includes technical instruction and professional development to advance economic equality.

Since 2018, the NFL has provided more than $95 million in support of programs focused on education, economic advancement, police and community relations, and criminal justice reform.

City Council candidate Elizabeth Adams releases first ad

Screen grab from Adams campaign video

City Council candidate Elizabeth Adams kicked off the new year with a new video.

Adams, a Greenpoint resident who grew up in New York City, is hoping to succeed Stephen Levin as the representative for District 33, which includes Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, Dumbo and Vinegar Hill.

She worked as a legislative advocate for Planned Parenthood before becoming the legislative director for Levin.

In her campaign video, Adams touts her work on issues like climate, reproductive rights and standing up to NYPD overreach.

“When the pandemic hit, I went to work,” she says in the video, detailing how she organized mutual aid efforts.

There are 10 total candidates in this race, including Glomani Bravo-Lopez, Victoria Cambranes, Lincoln Restler, Stuart Sherman, Benjamin Solotaire and more.

Woodhull Hospital to celebrate Three Kings Day

Although the annual Three Kings Day Parade in Brooklyn was cancelled this year due to the pandemic, Woodhull Hospital is still commemorating the holiday at its facility.

Local elected officials will join event sponsors, community board members, patients and residents to celebrate the holiday later this afternoon.

Three Kings Day marks the biblical adoration of baby Jesus by the three kings, also referred to as the three wise men, who found the child by following a star across the desert for 12 days. They traveled by horse, camel and elephant to present baby Jesus with three symbolic gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

As part of the event, gifts will be distributed to pediatric patients and hundreds of children throughout the community.

Maloney sworn into 117th Congress

On January 3rd, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney was sworn into the 117th Congress following a tightly-contested primary race.

Maloney represents the east side of Manhattan and parts of north Brooklyn and western Queens.

“I am honored to once again represent the people of New York’s 12th Congressional District in the House of Representatives,” she said in a statement, “and am humbled by the faith they have placed in me to help rebuild our city, state and country in the wake of the health and economic crises caused by COVID-19.”

Maloney laid out some of her priorities for the term, including:

  • Create an economy that works for all Americans, not just the fortunate few
  • Equality for all Americans, no matter who they love, their race, religion, sexuality or gender identity
  • Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, allowing Congress to ensure equal pay for equal work
  • Reintroduce legislation to forgive student loans for frontline health care workers, and establish workers compensation funds
  • Pass the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act
  • Fight for funding to complete the Second Avenue Subway, East Side Access and Sunnyside Rail Yards
  • Work with NYCHA to ensure residents have safe, clean homes and repairs that are completed effectively and efficiently
  • Fund gun violence research at the CDC and enact gun control legislation

Maloney will continue in her role as chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, where she has worked on issues like the postal service, the census and more.

“We have a lot to accomplish in the 117th Congress, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate, the incoming Biden administration and the people of New York to get it done,” she said.

Most popular baby names in NYC for 2019

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Out of more than 110,000 babies born in New York City in 2019, the most popular names were Emma and Liam.

Liam has been the most popular boy name since 2016, wile Emma has been the top name for girls since 2017.

According to the health department’s birth certificate records, 497 Emma’s and 764 Liam’s were born in the Big Apple last year.

Here are the top girls name in 2019:

  • Emma
  • Olivia
  • Sophia
  • Mia
  • Isabella
  • Leah
  • Ava
  • Chloe
  • Amelia
  • Charlotte

The top boys names for 2019 are:

  • Liam
  • Noah
  • Ethan
  • Jacob
  • Lucas
  • Aiden
  • Daniel
  • Michael
  • David
  • Matthew

Nine of the top 10 girls’ names from 2018 stayed on the list for last year. Only the name Sarah dropped off the 2019 list.

Nine of the top boys names also remained in place for the 2019 list. Michael was added to the list, while Alexander fell from the top 10.

Many babies were named after artists and celebrities, including Camila (22), Ariana (29), Justin (54) Tyler (84) and Adele (99).

Seasons and months were also local favorites, including Autumn (86), Summer (88) and Winter (113).

Williamsburg ranks as NYC’s 30th priciest neighborhood

According to a new report from PropertyShark, Williamsburg is the 30th priciest neighborhood in New York City this year, and the 13th most expensive in Brooklyn.

The “Most Expensive NYC Neighborhoods Report” found that New York City’s residential market activity was down 32 percent year over year.

Median sale prices, however, rose to $660,000, representing a one percent increase from last year.

Hudson Yards was the most expensive neighborhood in the Big Apple with a median sale price of $4.5 million. TriBeCa was the second most expensive, followed by Little Italy.

The most expensive Brooklyn neighborhood was DUMBO, with a median sale price of $1.625 million. Williamsburg came in 30th overall with a median sale price of $990,000.

Brooklyn made up 39 percent of the city’s priciest neighborhoods, with a median sale price of $710,000 and a four percent increase year-over-year.

Greenpoint was the 32nd most expensive neighborhood, with a median sale price of $934,000.

Newtown Creek Alliance calls on state to oppose air permit

Image courtesy of Newtown Creek Alliance

Newtown Creek Alliance is calling attention to an air permit application for National Grid’s Greenpoint facility.

NCA says the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is currently accepting comments on the application.

The environmental group is concerned that if it’s approved, National Grid will be allowed to expand operations at the facility and create more harm for local residents and workers.

“The operations at this 100+ acre facility have poisoned our waters, land and air for over a century,” NCA writes in their newsletter. “DEC and National Grid need to address public health concerns and do right by the community.”

The No North Brooklyn Pipeline has created an online petition against the project here.

New Williamsburg branch of Investors Bank features new design

Investors Bank recently opened its 20th branch in Brooklyn, the latest one in the neighborhood of Williamsburg.

The site, located at 236 Broadway, is the bank’s 49th branch in New York City and Long Island.

What makes the Williamsburg branch different is its open-office design, which is well-suited for the social distancing requirements of the pandemic.

It offers banking pods instead of a traditional teller platform and private offices.

Bankers can use PC tablets to complete a wide range of transactions.

Other safety measures include a requirement by customers and staff to wear masks inside the branch. Customers are encouraged to schedule an appointment before going to the branch.

The Williamsburg site is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The branch’s ATM is available 24/7.