Brooklyn Heights Association President Jane McGroarty has alerted us to a change the BHA was able to effect in the redrawing of Congressional district lines that has just been made final. As proposed, the new map will put all of Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens in the 7th Congressional District, now represented by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.
However, as proposed by the Federal District Court that drew the new district boundaries, the area west of Furman Street, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, the proposed hotel and condo complex next to Pier 1, and the existing One Brooklyn Bridge Park condo and retail building, would have been in the district of Congressman Jerrold Nadler, which runs down the west side of Manhattan, then crosses the water to take in shoreline areas of Red Hook and part of Sunset Park.
At the urging of the BHA, which argued that the park and adjoining buildings are part of a community of interest with Brooklyn Heights, the three judge panel reviewing the redistricting plan agreed to redraw the boundary so that the area west of Furman out to the ends of the piers is now in the 7th District. You can see the final district maps on Politicker.
A few weeks ago Ben Petok, the communications director for City Council Member Steve Levin, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights, contacted us to set up a get-acquainted meeting. This past Friday morning, your correspondent went to Levin’s district office at 410 Atlantic Avenue and conversed with him for about an hour. Here are some of his thoughts on various topics he thought were of interest to our readers:
Nabe Chatter