Electing a mayor, putting one of its own as a second-in-line (Public Advocate-Elect Tish James) and now selecting the next speaker of the city Council, Brooklyn is clearly in the house.
The sudden deal sealed Wednesday for Manhattan Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito as speaker of the City Council is expected to benefit the Brooklyn-Progressive coalition that unified behind her, also carrying favor to Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio.
Thus, while Ms. Mark-Viverito clearly is the Woman of the hour, making history as the first Latina woman who speaks fluent Spanish to obtain one of the most powerful jobs in the City of New York, it is important to note that the Jewish community in Brooklyn also did well in being part of the deal.
Mark Weprin and Dan Garodnick, who are both Jewish, becoming speaker would be significant to the Jewish community. Nonetheless, considering the political prospects of the outcome, one can clearly say the Orthodox Jewish community did well in getting part of the pie.
Three Jewish council members of Brooklyn, two of them Orthodox, are now poised to become highly influential in the City Council, serving as high ranking members in serving all New Yorkers.
As first reported by Politicker’s Ross Barkan, Councilman David Greenfield is said to be in line to be the next chairman of the City Council’s powerful Land Use committee. Mr. Greenfield, who reportedly worked hand-in-hand with Brooklyn chair Frank Seddio to try to lock in the best agreement possible for the 16-member Brooklyn delegation, could land another committee in the deal, such as the transportation or finance chair.
Brad Lander of Brooklyn — a key figure of the Progressive bloc and the backbone of Mark-Viverito’s coalition — will be named Deputy Speaker for Policy, Capital’s Azi Paybarah reported.
Brooklyn’s freshman Chaim Deutsch is in line to be the next Public Safety Committee Chairman, a source told YWN. As reported yesterday, Mr. Deutsch was not part of the deal between the Brooklyn County bloc and the Progressive Caucus. Instead, according to the source, Mr. Deutsch closed an earlier deal in joining the Progressive members of Brooklyn as part of the caucus, thus poised to benefit in possibly getting his desired post as chairman of the public Safety Committee.
Reached for a comment, the three council members declined to comment.
(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)
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4 Responses
This is good??? “Ms.” Mark-Viverito goes against everything we stand for! Look at the article about her in Tuesdays WSJ.
“who speaks fluently Spanish”.
She either speaks Spanish fluently or speaks fluent Spanish. Also, the sentence beginning with “Mark Weprin and Dan Garodnick, both Jewish” should read, who are both Jewish.
I don’t agree that because they are Jewish, that would make it “significant to the Jewish community”. It more often depends on the person, and how receptive they are to our needs. Let’s hope that, that this is the case with
Why is it that Councilman Greenfield appears to be the biggest winner, (according to the article) yet Councilman-Elect Deutsch’s picure appears with his thumbs raised.
I would think that Coucilman Greenfield’s picture would accompany the article.
this is all very nice , however a politician is a politician and that means as follows that so far from my own experience
the most simple things can’t get done unless they get headlines from it.
how come Councilman David Greenfield cant get the sanitation department to stop washing there trucks on 19th ave using the public sidewalk as there base of operations , they do have a big garage and yard and yet they feel free to use our public sidewalk to do there work and make us all walk in the street.
Councilman David Greenfield prides himself that he got all the big trucks of bay parkway by Washington cemetery. that’s very nice , however now they just moved over to twentieth and twenty first ave and park there and make it unsafe to walk there at night and they don’t get tickets there like bay parkway.
IN CONCLUSION , BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WISH FOR.