Open Thread: Who Should Make the BHB Ten 2014?

It’s time once again to discuss who should make the BHB Ten. Please comment below on the neighborhood resident who had the most influence on the neighborhood, the city or the world as well as any others who made a direct impact on Brooklyn Heights.

Previous years:
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008

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  • johnny cakes

    Regina Myers of the BBP. For being the luckiest person to have a job, (ever). Let the barbs fly.

  • skb

    Two nominations: Jim Monte, owner of Cranberry’s, and Kenn Lowy, the owner of Brooklyn Heights Cinema who lost his home. Both of these men are dedicated to Brooklyn Heights small businesses and providing fantastic coffee (and chocolate chip scones!) and meaningful films to this neighborhood as it changes before everyone’s eyes.

  • Willowtown Resident

    Ren Richmond for providing the hard core financial analysis showing the park is fully funded

  • Roberto Gautier

    Mary Frost is one of my choices because she is a tireless, community-oriented journalist who seems to be everywhere. Unlike many journalists, Mary actually studies the facts and the contexts of her stories while paying attention to the human side.

  • BrooklynBugle

    Since we prefer not to include folks who have been on the list in previous years, please check out the links above to review the 2008 – 2013 lists. Thanks!

  • DIBS

    The old crazy guy who is always outside Peas N’ Pickles

  • Sidney W. Lash

    Toll Brothers builders, for the beautiful (and nearly sold-out) Pier House and new hotel.

  • nicky

    Hank Guttman and Peter Ashkanosky both members of the BBPDC and Brooklyn Public Library Boards. They are working hard on the part of real estate developers who are keen on destroying our neighborhood through over development.
    Joanne Witty for singlehandedly tlaking down to the community and plotting the pierhouse overbuild mr

  • District 13 parent

    Note: your link to the 2011 list isn’t correct.
    That said, what about, jointly, Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer, the author and illustrator of The Phantom Tollbooth, who wrote the book when they were neighbors in Brooklyn Heights. We saw a terrific documentary about the collaboration–showing the Heights of 5 decades ago–at the Brooklyn Historical Society. It’s certainly one of the best children’s books of the last century, and its creators had–and continue to have–strong ties to the neighborhood.

  • District 13 parent

    The Wilklow family, who’ve been selling in the Borough Hall Greenmarket for 1/4 century. (Though I don’t know if any of the other vendors have been there that long–wouldn’t want to sell another farmer short). Still, an impressive track record.

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com ClaudeScales

    Deborah Schwartz, for the marvelous job she’s done revitalizing the Brooklyn Historical Society, both physically and programatically.

    The officers, board and staff, both professional and volunteer (disclosure: my wife is one of the latter) of the Brooklyn Women’s Exchange, which this year celebrated 150 years of providing a market for craft goods in Brooklyn Heights.

    Brigit Pinnell, Executive Director of the Montague Street BID for her efforts to bring more life to the street, and Estela Johanessen, of the BID and James Weir Floral, for the same and for hanging the flower boxes along the street.

    David Fuller and Judith Jarosz, of Theater 2020, for establishing the Heights’ first professional theater company, and for many fine performances in the neighborhood.

  • Anon the Original

    As someone who nominated 2 of the 1st BHB Top 10, I wish I had thought of this nomination. The Wilklow family has been at that
    Greenmarket since at least the early 1990s (I’d say about 1990 or 1991 but I’m
    not certain). At the beginning, they used to bring live baby animals (piglet,
    lamb, chicks, goats) to show the kids at no cost. PETA may have disagreed now
    as to animal rights, but back then it was extraordinarily awesome as downtown Brooklyn was markedly different back then. Adults and
    kids cooed over the animals and it represented the only opportunity to see real
    animals (back then, when Brooklyn Union Gas existed and had its headquarters on
    Montague, live baby chicks would hatch in their front window during Easter
    time, which was also a big hit). They only stopped bringing the animals because
    of insurance costs. Back then, they’d set up shop closer to Borough Hall, just
    south of the stand alone small TKTS ticket booth (think smaller than Fotomat) that
    had its allotment of tickets in a tight rubber band and was moved around on
    wheels.

    The older guy of the Wilklow family still shows up, as now does his son, to the market. The apple cider prices are about the same (it was
    about $4/gallon back then) and still just as tasty. It’s a business, to be
    sure, but it’s a fine business and they’ve been consistent. They’re friendly to
    class trips who visit the market and just nice people that were there when Brooklyn was viewed as bridge and tunnel instead of now
    those pecky Manhattanites who clog OUR streets and parks.

    Get off my curb!

  • Ann B Chapin

    think it is 160 years Claude?

  • sue

    hank guttman and peter ashanosky and joanne witty for being elistists who are overdevloping our little corner of the world

  • http://selfabsorbedboomer.blogspot.com ClaudeScales

    Corrected it; thanks.

  • AnnOfOrange

    Add Mark Lamm owner of Henry’s End and co-owner with Jim of the Wine Bar. He is also a Brooklyn Heights resident

  • Reggie

    I just paged through the six years of prior awardees and suggest that next year you list the 70 or so folks in the announcement, lest Mary Frost and Kenn Lowy get nominated again.

  • Boerum Bill

    Any celebrity.

  • NEIGH BORE

    How about the PS8 PTA for their tireless efforts to address the overcrowding issues the school is currently dealing with?

  • ltap917

    Melanie Hope Greenberg- Award willing illustrator and author of children’s picture books. I purchased “Mermaids on Parade” for my two little granddaughters. The look on the two year old’s face when she looked at the pictures was priceless.
    If you haven’t done so already, take a look at some of Melanie’s work. She has lived in the Heights for decades, in the same apartment. She is dedicated to children and to Brooklyn Heights, a neighborhood that she truly loves.

  • A PS8 Parent

    As a PS8 parent, I second, third and fourth this. Not only do they look out for the school, they look out for the entire community.