Our Next Council Member, Lincoln Restler

By on August 8, 2021 11:03 pm in Brooklyn Heights, Election 2021, Government, Other Brooklyn

Lincoln Restler easily won the primary to be the Democratic nominee for the 33rd City Council District seat presently occupied by the term limited Stephen Levin. Mr. Restler has no declared opposition in the coming general election so, failing a successful write-in campaign, he will be our next City Council member. He grew up in Brooklyn Heights, and his parents still live here, but he has lived in Greenpoint for over ten years.

If you’re wondering how the Heights and Greenpoint managed to be put in the same council district, you’d be right to conclude that it involved what must have been some very creative boundary drawing. I couldn’t find a map of the district that I could easily incorporate into this post, but there’s one on Council Member Levin’s website. As you can see, it borders the East River all the way from Newtown Creek to Atlantic Avenue, and takes in Greenpoint, part of Williamsburg, the Navy Yard, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, the Fulton Ferry District, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, and part of Gowanus. In three places, Greenpoint/Williamsburg, the Navy Yard, and Brooklyn Heights/Boerum Hill/Downtown/Gowanus, it extends inland. In others, part of Williamsburg and DUMBO/Vinegar Hill, it is quite narrow.

Mr. Restler was recently interviewed by Emma Davey in Greenpointers. Asked about his view of the new ranked choice voting system, he said

I think that ranked choice voting encourages candidates to build broad and diverse coalitions across their district. You can’t rely on the support of just Greenpoint or just Brooklyn Heights. You gotta be able to build across disparate communities.

He was also asked how he, as one who identifies as progressive, anticipated working with a likely Adams mayoral administration. He said he would try to “work collaboratively” with the administration “where we can find common ground” but would “push back to fight for our community” where necessary. He identified some issues on which he thought there were strong possibilities for progressives working with the new administration. These include the enhancement of pedestrian space, providing more protective bike lanes, and “investing in the crisis management system” to provide “an alternative to traditional policing.”

Photo: Run For Something

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  • barf

    Barf.

  • Jorale-man

    Well, at least one of my first choices in the June primary won. His resume seemed the strongest and most Heights-friendly of the bunch.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Not commenting on his actual abilities but he looks like a Buffoon.

  • Andrew Porter

    Really? That’s all you’ve got?

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    C’mon with that hair?

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    He personally canvassed my apartment building during his campaign and I have to say that his hair appeared lush and abundant. He has it in a sort of late 80s Fred Savage poof, which, while begging potential renovations (a flat top? a fade? an undercut?) does seem to have resolved itself. He struck me as a man who has settled into a hairstyle that works for him. Maybe it’s his thing. When all is said and done, all hair styles are pretty stupid and eventually dated.

  • Jorale-man

    In this photo it just looks like he was at the end of his haircut cycle. But hey, not every guy can claim thick locks like that. Something to be proud of!

  • Banet

    For real? The best we can do is discuss his hair?

    Who cares what he LOOKS like? Let’s discuss what he intends to do for our neighborhood and the city.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Man that guy would make Blagojevich jealous.

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    This is now the Lincoln Restler hair discussion thread. Obviously an interesting enough topic to sustain itself!

    Full disclosure, we moved to the Pacific Northwest a month ago and I just can’t quit the BHB. I will miss seeing many of you out and about! And topics such as Restler’s hairstyle do retain their relevance at this distance.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    LOL, same here. While I do still retain an apartment in BH I have been living at my upstate NY residence for the past. 2 years.

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    Well then open the discussion:

  • Mary Kim

    Studio, you moving out of Brooklyn Heights for good seems wrong. But best wishes for you and family!

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    Thank you!!! Leaving this wonderful community behind was a painful part of the move. We traded it in for this view of Mt Baker. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0db7640dacbffb429f1611dc17dfabaa5e9af49c23413e5b539c1f31278095ec.jpg

  • gc

    Looks like a good move to me.
    We will miss your progressive, thoughtful presence.
    Best wishes and bon voyage!

  • Teresa

    Lincoln grew up in Brooklyn Heights and was a student of mine a long time ago. He has always been engaged, thoughtful, smart, and funny, with unstinting dedication to community affairs. I’m thrilled that he’s our representative, and disappointed that the thread became about his hair. Good grief.

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    He won me over with his platform to introduce a statute that there had to be a new toy inside every avocado; no more of just the same boring wooden ball!

    Just kidding. I read that in a tweet once. He won my vote with his luscious poofy hair.

  • Nomcebo Manzini

    I, too, have a distant-ish personal connection to him, but that’s not why I’m glad that he’ll be our new representative.

    In point of fact, he ran against a very weak crowd (mostly), and it was clear from the get-go that his combination of accomplishments and connections were unbeatable. Plus, he ran an excellent campaign and took positions that clearly were well thought out. AND the District seems to be on a similar wavelength.

    I, too, deplore the “excess” hair silliness here, but I’m sure he’d prefer it to any focus on “Which new Councilperson looks the youngest?”

    As Claude all but pointed out, he’ll be representing a VERY diverse district – economically, ethnically, every which way.

    It’s easy to say (from our vantage point) that the mile or 2 of the BQE nearest us needs to be prioritized and the recipient of a huge percent of whatever funds are directed toward that long roadway…. BUT one may very well hope for a more ambitious approach than the one “hacked out” by a terrible Mayor and bureaucrats who have shown particular weakness/blindness in this connection.

    At a minimum, Cobble Hill and the portion near Williamsburg are way overdue for a “re-think.” In both instances, the same thinking that took down “els” and put subways UNDERGROUND (we’re talking 100 years ago!) should be employed NOW. Environment, health, etc.

    And the “community” aspect makes it an objective that progressives should make a beeline for. (Of course, I’m guardedly optimistic that Schumer & Co. will be shoveling quite a bit of $ into NYC and NYS.