BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

State legislators returned to Albany today, and Southern Brooklyn’s pols went with a message: when it comes to casinos, location matters.

Several legislators joined the newly-formed Stop the Coney Island Casino organization on Monday to say that Coney Island is off limits as a casino venue, and that any attempt to change the state constitution to expand gambling will be opposed unless it includes specific locations.

“[The proposed legislation to expand gambling] must include specifically where the casinos are being planned,” said Assemblyman William Colton during the press conference. “Then we will know whether we can support or oppose such legislation. Because if we do not include that in what is going to be passed … we will be leaving the decision of whether Coney Island gets a casino not to the people of Coney Island, and not the people of Brooklyn, but to special interests.”

The press conference at the Kings Bay Y (3495 Nostrand Avenue) was the formal debut of Stop the Coney Island Casino, and featured Assemblymembers Colton and Steven Cymbrowitz, State Senator Eric Adams, Councilman David Greenfield and 45th Assembly District Leader Ari Kagan. The bi-lingual press conference drew Russian-language media outlets and about 40 attendees from Russian-American and Russian-Jewish organizations. The organizations and elected officials said they stand united in opposing a Coney Island casino, claiming it will increase crime rates, depress the community’s economy and obliterate quality of life.

“If you want to see crime go up, if you want to see traffic go up, if you want to see small businesses go out of business, then support the casino,” said Councilman Greenfield. “But if you care about the community, join together with us and stop the Coney Island casino.”

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Councilman Recchia, left, and Senator Adams, right.

Coney Island City Councilman Domenic Recchia is reportedly eyeing the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, potentially pitting Northern and Central Brooklyn versus Southern Brooklyn for the largely powerless position.

Sources told the Daily News that Recchia plans to announce his candidacy in January, confirming speculation that the term-limited pol was considering the seat after putting the kibosh on a rumored comptroller run.

Recchia has served in the City Council since 2002 and, in 2010, he became chair of the Council Finance Committee, one of the most powerful positions in the legislative body, responsible for directing taxpayer funds to nonprofits and community groups.

Recchia will be term-limited out at the end of 2013, as will the sitting beep, Marty Markowitz. Recchia was widely believed to be mulling a run for city comptroller, but squashed that rumor earlier this month when Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer announced his candidacy for the seat and obtained Recchia’s endorsement.

Keep reading for more about the race, and why this means a Southern Brooklyn versus Northern and Central Brooklyn battle.

Superstorm Sandy may have spared most Bensonhurst residents and businesses, but recovery was still center stage at Community Board 11′s December 13 meeting.

In the wake of the storm, rebuilding the sea wall and protecting homeowners from toxic mold growth are top priorities for local leaders.

Assemblyman Peter Abbate called for a quick rehabilitation of the Caesar’s Bay bulkhead and the Shore Parkway Greenway sea wall. The greenway is of particular importance, as it serves as a line of defense for the Belt Parkway, Southern Brooklyn’s principal artery. According to District Manager Marnee Elias-Pavia and Chairman William Guarinello, the effects of another storm could wipe out the roadway.

“The Belt Parkway is a vital link in our community,” Abbate added, noting that rebuilding the lost seawall at Caesar’s Bay is an important precaution.

There have been a few cases of mold in Bensonhurst homes after the hurricane, the Board noted. Community members are encouraged to check their homes for mold and hire licensed contractors for removal. Homeowners should not attempt to remove the mold itself, as it requires specialized equipment to protect from inhaling the toxic spores.

Also, on Monday, the City Council voted to postpone property taxes for local home owners, according to Councilman Vincent Gentile’s representatives. There will be a three-month grace period for owners, which should help the community in the Bensonhurst post-Sandy rebuilding effort.

Community Board 11 leaders have denied a recommendation for the One World Alcohol and Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Center on McDonald Avenue.

According to District Manager Marnee Elias-Pavia, the board found that the application for a recommendation differed from the initial agreement made with One World leaders.

One World, a medical group, had discussed plans to open the facility earlier this fall. Community Board 11 Chairperson, Bill Guarinello, stressed at October’s board meeting that this center would be open for counseling only. He said that there would not be any drugs distributed in or out of the facility. Elias-Pavia added that, as per their discussion, there would be no patients living at the center, and that they would instead be receiving treatment on an out-patient basis.

But upon further review, board leaders learned that previously incarcerated, mentally-ill, substance-addicted young adults would be going in and out of the center, facts that were hidden from the board upon their initial meeting.

At November’s board meeting, Elias-Pavia and Guarinello stated that they would not be giving a recommendation to the center.

“I don’t think this is what fits in our neighborhood,” Elias-Pavia said. Those present at the board meeting agreed.

Representatives from One World Inc. could not be reached immediately for comment.

November’s Community Board 11 meeting focused on three main points: the gas crisis, the N train, and the continuing Hurricane relief effort.

Assemblyman Peter Abbate, Councilman David Greenfield and Councilman Vincent Gentile all attended Thursday’s meeting at the Bensonhurst Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare to give their thoughts on these key issues.

The Gas Crisis

The odd/even rationing system went into effect on Friday. Abbate, Greenfield, and Gentile all said that they fought to get the rationing system in our community. Doing so, they said, would help to shorten the gas lines in Brooklyn.

Why did the lines get so bad in New York to begin with? It’s something Councilman Greenfield attributed to “panic buying.” He explained that residents would go out to gas stations and refuel when they still had more than half a tank of gas left. Many would fill multiple containers as a precaution. But Abbate stressed the hazard of keeping full gasoline containers in the garage or basement.

“It’s very dangerous,” Abbate said. He urged the public to hold off on usual gas purchases and to fill up limitedly, at least while the community gets back on track.

The N Train

At Thursday’s meeting, there was no straight-forward answer about when the train service would be fully restored. According to Abbate, “It was a serious blow we took in the neighborhood.”

But, as of this week, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the MTA restored service to the stretch of the N line service along the Sea Beach Line in Brooklyn.

And while Community Board 11 Chairperson, Bill Guarinello said that the MTA did a “Herculean job” with restoring service in the neighborhood, he also said that the community still needs answers.

“The general public has to get better information,” Guarinello said, regarding the time-frame with subway construction and tunnel repairs.

Councilman Gentile added, “All we’re asking for is honesty. We just need better info all around.”

The Hurricane-Relief Effort in Bensonhurst

Though Hurricane Sandy ripped through New York a little more than two weeks ago, many neighborhoods are still continuing to feel the aftershock today.

The general statement from the Board was that we, as a community, were “very, very lucky.” Comparing us to Staten Island, Gentile added, “We’ve been spared.”

Still, these leaders are unhappy with the lack of communication between the government and New York locals.

“There was a lack of planning in New York,” Greenfield said. “The pressure really needs to be put on the federal government. Obama needs to help New York State.”

What should we, as a community do, moving forward?

“I think we need to do two things now – demand action from our leaders and hold people accountable,” Greenfield said.

Gentile added that we should continue to give back to those who were struck hardest by the storm.

Anyone who still wants to donate is encouraged to contact Councilman Gentile’s office directly at (718) 748-5200. The most needed provisions are blankets, pajamas, winter coats, baby supplies, and new (still packaged) underwear.

Other Announcements

There have been a few cases of looting around the 86th Street and Caesar’s Bay area. Officers from the 62nd Precinct suggest steering clear of the area in the evenings, particularly for night jogging, for the time being.

On Thursday, there will be a Participatory Board Meeting at P.S. 205, 6701 20th Avenue, at 7 p.m. With one million dollars to split between Brooklyn communities, Councilman Greenfield, who is spearheading the effort, said, “Every neighborhood is guaranteed a project.” He invites Bensonhurst locals to get involved. “You’re making a difference,” he said.

The community Greenmarket ends November 18th. Councilman Gentile wanted to thank Bensonhurst for bringing one of his “biggest dreams to life.”

This Friday, October 24, you have another chance to witness a debate between Republican New York State Senator Martin Golden and Democratic challenger Andrew Gounardes on NY1 at 6:45 pm.

If the other debates are any indication, this one serves to be just as feisty as Golden and Gounardes square off on issues ranging from gun control, women’s rights, jobs and education.

State Senator Marty Golden and his upstart opponent, Democrat Andrew Gounardes, faced off at a debate last night hosted by the Dyker Heights Civic Association.

The 30-minute debate got heated at points, with Golden and Gounardes occasionally raising their voices and breaking with debate protocol to ask each other questions or attack one another.

Among the issues discussed were gun control, women’s rights including emergency contraceptives for rape victims and fair pay, and education.

Education is how Andrew Gounardes opened the debate, attacking the 10-year incumbent for failing to bring home the bacon for local schools. He claimed Golden has voted 99 percent of the time with the Senate Republican leadership, which he said had been neglecting New York City’s schools, siphoning off funding and ignoring issues of overcapacity in New York City. The Senator responded by calling the claims “pure fantasy” and noted that he had brought funding to local schools, including adding 4,000 seats to the district.

On a separate question about education, Golden received boos for expressing his support for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s handling of the city school system, while Gounardes said the state needed to do a better job ensuring the mayor is fulfilling his obligation to students, which, he said, appears not to be the case given college-readiness rates and school standards.

The crowd appeared to overwhelmingly support Senator Golden, many sporting Golden and GOP stickers – but Gounardes also brought a contingent of supporters who cheered him on. Both appeared to have “plants” in the crowd – or people who posed questions that exposed the weakness of their opponent.

One of those questions came from a female Gounardes supporter, who asked Golden if he supported Missouri Congressman Todd Akin’s statements that rape victims should not have access to emergency contraceptives. It seemed Golden was pretending not to hear the question, and then rephrased it as “Should [rape victims] get emergency services immediately upon rape? Yes, they should.”

Gounardes won a round of applause for immediately shooting back that Golden had voted three times against a bill that would provide contraceptives to rape victims.

The insurgent opponent also won accolades when Golden made a few verbal stumbles, such as suggesting that New Yorkers can’t afford to provide equal pay to women and that importing oil and gas from Canada qualified as energy independence.

Golden, for his part, effectively presented his opponent as rabidly anti-gun and portrayed his own record on gun safety as a more effective and moderate approach. He also scored points by aligning Gounardes’ view on renewable energy investments with that of the Obama Administration, which has recently taken flak for providing $90 billion in breaks for green energy industries with little return shown on the investment.

Watch the debate above – it will likely be the most expansive, interesting and exciting to happen this year in Southern Brooklyn.

Source: FArepublicans via Flickr

Congressman Michael Grimm’s financial standing continues to come under scrutiny. After the allegations of his dealings with controversial Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto came to light and his fundraiser Ofer Biton’s arrest for immigration fraud, Grimm has to deal with another financial scandal. This time, the accusations state that Grimm accepted money from several individuals involved in the porn industry.

Last week, the Associated Press reported and TPMMuckracker summarized the following:

One of the rabbi’s closest aides, Benzion Suky, owned a company that distributed porn videos and has settled lawsuits by adult film studios who accused him of selling bootlegged DVDs, according to court records. Suky and his wife gave a combined $9,600 to Grimm’s 2010 campaign and a real estate partnership that lists Suky as its managing member gave $4,800, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Another big donor was Rafi Maman, proprietor of companies in North Bergen, N.J., that distribute adult films and sex toys. He also has settled lawsuits accusing him of bootlegging, including two which also named Suky as a defendant. Maman, his wife and a real estate partnership that he listed as his employer gave $19,200 to Grimm’s campaign. That total includes $7,200 in individual contributions from Maman, or $2,400 more than is allowed by law.

A third Grimm contributor, Eli Halali, is listed in business records as the agent of another company that distributed pornographic movies. His name also appears on at least one such video, “Blonde & Beautiful Vol. 1,” as the keeper of records verifying that the film’s performers were over age 18. He gave $4,800. Two apparent relatives, Bluria Halali and Jaclyn Halali, each contributed $4,800.

The FBI has been looking at Grimm’s fundraising since at least January, when a New York Times story spotlighted the role that an Israeli named Ofer Biton, an aide to Pinto, played in Grimm’s campaign. Members of Pinto’s congregation told the Times that either Grimm or Biton said they could find ways to accept donations that surpassed legal limits or came from foreigners. Several people who worked on Grimm’s campaign have been questioned by the FBI, according to reports, and just a few weeks ago TPM reported that the bureau was looking into the Staten Island lawmaker’s failure to file paperwork related to an overseas trip to Cyprus. Biton, meanwhile, was arrested by the FBI last month, in a case apparently unrelated to his fundraising efforts for Grimm, for lying on immigration documents.

Grimm, a former FBI agent, has acknowledged receiving between $250,000 to $300,000 from Pinto’s supporters but has denied knowledge of any wrongdoing.

Since Biton’s legal troubles emerged, his lawyer has come forward to say that his arrest is the direct result of his link to Grimm and the investigation into campaign finances.

“This case is politically motivated,” said lawyer John Meringolo, to the New York Times.

Meringolo also stated that he believes Grimm has not done anything wrong either, “They say he [Biton] has ties to Michael Grimm. I haven’t seen any evidence whatsoever of wrongdoing of Michael Grimm.”

United States attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York Robert spokesperson Nardoza, stated that there is nothing political about it.

“The case,” he said, “is motivated by the evidence.”

Biton has not been charged with money laundering thus far, but immigration fraud. As for Grimm, his connection to Biton’s current case has not been confirmed and his links to the porno industry have not come out as a legal issue thus far.

The following is an op-ed contributed by Abe George, candidate for the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney in 2013′s citywide elections.

What is a cybercrime lab? Well, you might have heard last week that prosecutors in Manhattan obtained one, at a cost of $4.2 million awarded from the city. It will be used to assist the already existing identity theft and cybercrime unit of the New York County District Attorney’s office, where a group of specialized prosecutors and forensic analysts investigate crimes of identity theft and credit card fraud.

Why should you care? Because the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office not only has no cybercrime lab, it has no dedicated identity theft unit at all.

While law enforcement officials and prosecutors around the country have been gearing up to battle the growing epidemic of identity theft-related crimes, I fear that Brooklyn is lagging behind, and here’s why.

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Local Assemblyman William Colton has been advocating for the installation of additional sources of free wireless internet around Southern Brooklyn.

Colton expressed that he feels it is unfair that wealthier neighborhoods in northern Brooklyn and Manhattan are dominating much of the city’s free internet service at parks and public spaces. He said that his constituents deserve to be serviced as well as those residing in other areas.

“Many here feel that the city often caters to the needs of the few and privileged elsewhere and leaves us stranded,” Colton said in a letter fierce letter sent to the City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, according to the New York Post. “We pay our taxes like everyone else, and we are entitled to the same level of services just like everyone else.”

Following his letter, the Parks Department said they will be adding free wireless internet to the Coney Island beach and boardwalk, MCU Park, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park’s Nature Center, and possibly Owl’s Head Park in Bay Ridge.

Colton will be holding a press conference later today announcing the new locations.